SEAL BEACH : Burned Firefighter Honored With Badge

Christopher Barth, the Seal Beach resident who was seriously burned in August while fighting a brush fire in the foothills above Los Angeles, was honored Wednesday by the Orange County Fire Department.

Barth, 25, received a department badge and a graduation certificate from the county’s fire academy. At the time of the brush fire, he had just completed academy training and planned to become a volunteer firefighter in Seal Beach.

Orange County Fire Chief Larry Holms presented Barth with the badge and read him the oath of office at a Sherman Oaks hospital burn unit, where Barth is scheduled to have skin graft surgery today.

Holms also gave Barth a videotape of his academy class’s graduation ceremony, said Maria Sabol, a Fire Department spokeswoman.

Barth, who worked as a fire suppression aide for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, was battling a brush fire in Altadena Canyon on Aug. 20 when he and another firefighter were burned.

He suffered third-degree burns over 25% of his body and has already undergone several operations, said his mother, Adrienne Kalmick of Seal Beach.

“He’s doing beautifully,” said Kalmick. “The plastic surgeon has done some work on his face. . . . The progress has been beautiful.”

Doctors expect Barth will need another year to fully recover from the burns, she said.

Because Barth is not a full-time firefighter, his injuries are not covered by Los Angeles County’s health insurance plan, Kalmick said. A workers’ compensation policy will pay for some of his hospital bills, but Barth will have to pay for rehabilitation and outpatient care, she said.

A fund has been established to help Barth pay the medical bills. People interested in making a donation may write to: The Barth-Larios Truth Fund, F&A; Federal Credit Union, 2625 Corporate Place, Monterey Park, Calif. 91754.