Key Points

• More burn survivors in Utah are gaining access to outdoor recreational experiences that promote recovery because of a firefighter rescue skills competition.
• The Rope Rescue Challenge provided a $71,000 donation to the University of Utah Health Burn Center to help provide free burn camps to additional patients.
• Marathon Petroleum’s Salt Lake City refinery hosted the competition, which involved firefighters from several states.

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Patients at the University of Utah Health Burn Center require the kind of highly specialized care that it provides as one of only 79 verified burn centers in the U.S. The cases can range from electrical and chemical burns to inhalation injuries and burns to young children.

“About one-third of our intensive care unit's patients are children, with scalding injuries being their most common form of burn injury,” said Danielle Westbroek, a critical care registered nurse at the Burn Center. “Pediatric patients who have a lot of growing yet to do may require ongoing surgeries over years. As they grow up, their scars get tight, and they may need releases or new skin grafts.”

A big part of the recovery journey for younger patients is the Burn Camp Program, which relies on donations to provide free outdoor recreational activities, such as rafting trips, to help survivors connect and heal. More patients and families will benefit from this program after a $71,000 contribution to the Burn Center from the 2025 Rope Rescue Challenge, a high-angle rescue skills competition hosted by Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s (MPC) Salt Lake City refinery with help from other community supporters.

“This is more than a competition – it’s about providing lifesaving care and rehabilitation, supporting our responders and building more resilient communities across the country.”

“The Burn Center’s region is five states (Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Nevada), and many patients come from a great distance to receive care at our center and then to participate in camps,” Westbroek said. “Donations like this make participation possible for families who, otherwise, couldn't even afford the gas to get down to Salt Lake City.” 

The Rope Rescue Challenge involved 54 participants on nine teams from fire departments in Utah’s Davis and Salt Lake counties as well as MPC’s refineries in El Paso, Texas; Garyville, Louisiana; Mandan, North Dakota; Robinson, Illinois; and Salt Lake City. The three-day competition tested their technique and speed in executing simulated rescues from multi-story heights that included obstacles like catwalks and confined spaces.

“Many of the departments involved already have mutual aid agreements, but rarely get to train together under realistic, high-stakes conditions,” said Brock Carter, the Salt Lake City refinery’s employee engagement strategy lead and a co-organizer of the event. “You see the teams grow right in front of your eyes. Not only do their skills become more efficient, they become more confident because of the challenging scenarios.”

At the conclusion, one of two teams from MPC’s Salt Lake City refinery finished first, and the team from MPC’s Garyville refinery finished second. A survey of participants showed that a vast majority thought the most valuable aspect of taking part was supporting the event’s broader charitable purpose, a sentiment that Carter echoed.

“This is more than a competition – it’s about providing lifesaving care and rehabilitation, supporting our responders and building more resilient communities across the country,” Carter said. “That’s what drives me.”