Funds pour in for badly burned Lewes firefighter
The 21-year-old fire captain injured in a work-related explosion is still in critical condition, authorities said.
Jake Slater has undergone several skin graft surgeries and had another scheduled for sometime Wednesday, April 5, said Glenn Marshall, spokesman for the Lewes Fire Department.
Slater, who works at Delmarva Petroleum, was seriously burned March 28 when he tried to cut open a waste oil tank with a chop saw and a spark ignited vapors in the tank.
The explosion caused a fire resulting in $1,000 damage, said Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal Harry Miller.
Slater received first- and second-degree burns to 70 percent of his body. He is being treated at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore. He is also suffering from pneumonia, Marshall said.
"That and the ongoing challenges are what we're dealing with," Marshall said. "It takes time to do the graft surgeries. He's going to be up there until the summer, easily. And that's in a perfect world, and burns are anything but a perfect world."
Marshall said they are not pressuring Slater's family for news, but that family members have said they will provide an update when surgery is complete. The Wednesday surgery took longer than anticipated, and Marshall is still waiting for an update from the family.
BACKGROUND: Lewes captain ID'd as oil tank explosion victim
"(Slater) continues to need your thoughts and prayers. The family and department are extremely grateful for the amazing show of support from the community. We will provide updates regularly on Jake's condition and any fundraising efforts," Marshall has posted on the Lewes Fire Department website.
The department Facebook timeline is also devoted to news of Slater's recovery, and the department has created the hashtag, "#jakestrong" to show support for their comrade.
A fundraiser was held at the Greene Turtle in the Village of Five Points on April 4 to help pay for Slater's treatment. Tuesdays at this time of year are "kind of hit or miss," said server Lauren Salerno, but that Tuesday was busy all day. The turnout that night was even greater.
"From about 5 o'clock when people started getting off work until close, we were slammed," Salerno said. "There were people everywhere."
The event was part of the Greene Turtle's community outreach program, "Funds for Friends." Any community group can request that the restaurant host a fundraiser for them. The restaurant gives them printed tickets which the community group is free to duplicate as needed. A portion of the check for any patron presenting a ticket is donated to that night's cause.
The Greene Turtle agreed to donate 20 percent of every check presented with a ticket. With the exception of the members of the weekly poker party that night, every patron who came in had a ticket, Salerno said.
"We raised about $1,800," Salerno said. "It was a great turnout. We were all really, really proud of ourselves."
Lefty's Alley and Eats will hold its own fundraiser on April 12 from 5-11 p.m. In addition to donating a portion of their proceeds, there will be a 50/50 raffle.
Another fundraiser will be held at Irish Eyes on April 18. A percentage of food sales will be donated to the family to offset medical costs. Entertainment will be provided by The Federal StreetBand, and a Chinese auction and 50/50 raffle will add to the proceeds.
New fundraising efforts are spreading throughout the region. Slater's family has created the "Jake Slater #JakeStrong" Facebook page to track these efforts.
"I can't even begin to guess how many there are now," Marshall said.
Samantha Moore, a relative by marriage and lifelong friend of Jake and his sister, is also aware of the many fundraisers.
"They are popping up every day, but it's getting hard to keep track of them," she said.
Moore started a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of Jake's mother, Sharon, on March 28. Moore posted a goal of $14,000.
"I think we made that in a little less than a week," she said. "We'd like to keep it going to make sure that anyone who wants to donate has a chance."
The total stands at $15,620 after only 259 donations, and the money continues to roll in.
Sharon Slater will co-host an online Pampered Chef fundraiser through April 25. Thirty percent of the proceeds will go to support Jake's treatment.
The Club Milton Speedway in Ellendale will accept donations Friday, April 7 and all proceeds from the evening's activities will be donated in support of Slater's treatment.