For over forty years, Calgary Firefighters Burn Treatment Society (CFBTS) has conducted community-based fundraising to support initiatives that improve outcomes and quality of life for burn survivors and individuals affected by other severe skin injuries in Southern Alberta. The Society is 100% volunteer led and driven, supported by over 1400 professional Calgary firefighters and working in close partnership with academic institutions and programs, health care providers and burn survivor groups.
In 1978, CFBTS partnered with the Calgary Health Region and Calgary Health Trust to help fund and establish the Calgary Firefighters Burn Treatment Centre (CFBTC) at Foothills Medical Centre as the primary referral centre for burn patients in Southern Alberta, Southeastern British Columbia, Southwestern Saskatchewan and Northern Montana. Since opening, thousands of patients have received primary care at the Centre from a highly skilled and integrated clinical care team utilizing state of the art treatment spaces and equipment made possible by donors who support CFBTS.
CFBTS supports annual activities like Alberta Burn Camp, Picnics, Christmas Dinners and peer support initiatives that bring burn survivors and families, firefighters, medical and research teams together for fun, hope and encouragement during the challenging journey of burn recovery.
In 2015, CFBTS committed $1 million to establish the CFBTS Chair in Skin Regeneration and Wound Healing, currently held by Dr. Jeff Biernaskie, to build on the growing reputation of the CFBTS Burn Centre as a leader in translational research. Promising research being conducted in Calgary is poised to make game changing advancements in burn treatment in the years ahead.
Over the past forty years, significant advancements in burn treatment, education and research have been made in Calgary through the combined effort of donors, medical teams, researchers, burn survivors and firefighters. CFBTS and our stakeholder groups have identified the opportunity to accomplish even more in the decade ahead.Calgary Firefighters Burn Treatment Society, through volunteerism, raises awareness and donations to support burn treatment, education, research and burn survivor programs in Southern Alberta.
We provide ways for people who share CFBTS’s vision and mission to support through direct giving, participation in our events and activities, or by hosting their own fundraising initiatives for CFBTS.
We maintain supportive relationships with burn survivors as they go through their healing journey, offering encouragement and opportunities to participate as vital members of our community team.
We add value to Alberta’s healthcare system by providing funding for enhanced levels of care that contribute to better patient outcomes and cost savings.
We explore new opportunities to partner with likeminded organizations that share our values and want to help contribute to CFBTS’s vision.