I would like to ask for your help I was nominated for the Firefighter of the Year contest on a local radio station. Let me tell you why I was nominated for this, it came from the night of Augest 23 where I work as Fire/Safety personal at a local race track. During one of the heat races one of the stock cars rolled over as we were approaching the incident the car bursied into flames with the driver still trapped inside. Without thinking about it I made several attempts to get into the burning car. I was able to make entry to get the driver out but doiing it I recieved severed burns to my face, and forhead. The driver recieved burns to his right arm, face, chest and legs he is currently in Syracuse hospital burn unit. We were both flown out too two diferent burn units. Well as of 9/11/08 (B)- Tom Czaban the family PR person talked to the Hover family! The Family was with Ryan all week long at his bedside...hence the reason for the long delay in updates. Ryan did have his original skin graph on his arm 2 weeks ago...most of took, but the shoulder area did not. So Ryan was in another surgery for skin graphs on thursday for another 10 hours!!! The doctors are using the skin from Ryans back to graph his arm and hand. Ryan has been relieved of the ventilator and is now out of the induced coma, but is still heavily sedated with pain medications. Ryans throat and lungs are still very sore, he is still coughing up black carbon particles from the smoke and fire as his lungs heal. With the throat healing it has left Ryan with little appetite. However the doctors need him to continue eating lots of proteins and carbs in case they need more skin. As far as his groin, he does have limited burns to the area. The rumors to Ryans Face are as follows...the sheild of his helmet DID melt! His Face DID NOT Melt off!! He has burns to the right side of his face from his forehead to underneath his chin. These burns are currently healing on there own, but may need scar surgery later on down the road. As far as the Doctors and Family are concerned the Helmet DID Do it's Job!! He has NO burns to his Head, Ears, or Hair for that matter!! The Doctors have been getting Ryan up to sit in a chair 3 - 4 hours a day! They have also been getting him up to be put in a bathing tub to wash him and scrub the effected areas that do not require immediate skin graphs! Ryan is By NO means "Walking Around" as rumored either!! Last But not least Ryan is communicating but Very Little. The Medication is making it difficult. But Ryan is comfortable. He REALLY Does have an Uphill Battle for a long time to come!! But we are all so grateful he will survive and he will come home as soon as possible!! Please keep Ryan and his Family in your prayers. The Hover Family and I have decided to give weekly updates unless something that needs to be put out immediately comes up. If you like to get any further updates I have to give thanks to Harry's towing crew, and my partner Jason Billington and the staff from Rural Metro Ambulance, GAVAC, and Lifenet of NY for taken car of myself and Ryan durning this ordeal. As far as to my condition I'm healing up well hardly know that I got burned but still ever now and then I can't stop thinking of that night I know this is going to be the worst thing to deal with for sometime to come. So if you made it this far I would like the help on the votes. I heard that the voting ends this friday sept. 19 here is the link so you can go and vote if you like to help a Brother. If you have any questions just drop me a line. Again thanks to everyone that has help me through this.

Curtis Rouse
Glen Ridge Motorsports Park Fire/Safety