A Fort Worth firefighter who nearly lost his life in the line of duty is finally going home.
After more than a month at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Caleb Halvorson reunited with his family Monday in a moment they’ve all been waiting for.
Just over a month ago, Halvorson was trapped under a collapsed garage roof while fighting a fire on South Williams Street in Fort Worth’s historic Southside neighborhood. A mayday call went out — every firefighter’s worst fear.
“I remember, right then… [thinking] I am gonna die. This is it,” Halvorson said. “It feels like forever. You feel your skin burning and you feel this heavy weight on you.”
Pulled from debris in two minutes
He was trapped for nearly two minutes before his crew pulled him from the debris. Since then, the road to recovery has been long, with multiple skin grafts, infections and burns deeper than doctors initially thought.
“You sign up and know it’s an inherently dangerous job, but in the back of your mind you always kind of say, ‘It’s not going to happen to me,'” Halvorson said. “But when it actually happens to you, it kind of blows your mind a little bit.”
Motivated by newborn in NICU
Through it all, his greatest motivation has been waiting for him — his newborn son, still in the NICU.
“That’s been my main motivation to get out. I haven’t seen him in 34 days,” Halvorson said.
Community support tops $165,000
Halvorson’s family has received an outpouring of support. A fundraiser launched by the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association has raised more than $165,000 to help the family.
“I’ve had the best support, and it’s really gotten me through everything. I can’t say thank you enough to everyone across the country who’s been involved,” Halvorson said.
Plans to return to firehouse
Even after the trauma, Halvorson says he’s already looking forward to returning to the job he loves.
“By no means am I done or quitting. As soon as this is healed, I want to go back. I miss my brothers and my girls and boys at work,” he said. “Deep in my heart, I am a fireman. I love my job. It’s the best job in the world.”