Jeff Patterson pictured with other firefighters from his station: Photo by Kelly Wagoner via Facebook/Jeffpattersonengine44

Jeff Patterson pictured with other firefighters from his station: Photo by Kelly Wagoner via Facebook/Jeffpattersonengine44

Firefighter Jeff Patterson returned to his White Rock area home after a lengthy hospitalization.

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When Patterson was critically injured in a fire (third-degree burns covered half his body, his lungs and other internal organs suffered damage and he developed an infection while in a medically induced coma, to name a few of his most traumatic trials) the fire department and our neighborhood collaborated to help the Patterson family financially and emotionally.

For instance, the Exchange Club of Lake Highlands took up a collection one day, friends and family held well-attended fundraisers at both Studio Movie Grill and the Greenville Truck Yard, and they set up a fundraising website.

Even after five months in the hospital, Patterson still faces extensive physical rehabilitation. Yesterday after his release from UT Southwestern, a fire truck chauffeured him around the neighborhood, reportedly visiting his daughter’s day care and his son’s elementary school. Judging by CBS’s footage, it was a poignant experience for all; those close to the situation seem to understand how near Patterson came to losing his life.

In related news, another Dallas firefighter family from East Dallas — that of Stan Wilson, who did not survive a Lake Highlands area fire last year — received some answers based on official investigations into the fatal incident. More on that in this Dallas Morning News piece.