Man becomes firefighter after surviving burns to 70% of his body

Terry McCarty was only six when his little body became engulfed in flames after his brothers set a bowl of kerosene on fire and it tipped on him.

He survived, but was burned on 70% of his body.

The Hawthorne, Nevada boy lost part of his fingers, thumbs, and required 58 operations.

McCarty understandably suffered from a numbing fear of fire from then on and endured brutal bullying as children called him "Freddy Krueger" because of his scars.

Yet despite all his hardships, at the age of 29, McCarty became a firefighter for Washington State.

In 2011 he applied for the position and had to face his fear of fire for the first time since his horrific childhood accident.

"After the accident I lived in a constant state of fear and uncertainty," McCarty explains, "Becoming a fireman was a spur of the moment decision. I thought if I could do this, people would realize I could do anything."

The training to become a firefighter tested the young man mentally as well as physically.

"As part of my training I had to complete a live fire exercise," he continues, "Fear washed right over me, just as the fire had all those years ago. I couldn't move, I felt like I was six years old again when I saw those flames shooting out of the ceiling."

Yet despite the hurdles, McCarty completed 12 weeks of training and had his application accepted in April of 2012.

"Attending events, or even just being out in public in my uniform, always attracted a mixture of shocked and awed reactions," he recalls.

The brave man worked fighting flames for two years, winning the respect and applause from peers and citizens alike, until he decided to switch his focus to helping children who were suffering from burns, as he did years ago.

McCarty began working with the Burned Children Recovery Foundation at Camp Phoenix in Bellingham, Washington.

"Nothing like this program has been done before. It's going to take a lot of work, but being able to support people who suffered like I did will make it all worthwhile," McCarty says, "Fire robbed me of my childhood. I wanted to give these children a chance to experience being a kid, even for a short time."

The man, who hosts a "Char King" tattoo on his forearm in flamed font, says that it was because of his family, particularly his brothers, that he was able to make it through the hardest times.