This year’s art for the Burn Foundation fundraiser will be, after 43 years, the last year artist Joseph M. Getsinger will be creating it. Joe started out with the Burn Foundation in 1980 while serving in the New Jersey State Police Arson Unit. As a fire/arson detective he witnessed the damage and devastation caused by arsons and other fires to firefighters, homeowners, and their families. Burn victims/survivors relied on specialized burn centers, doctors, and nurses to help them with their recovery. The Burn Foundation at that time was in its infancy, and then President Peter Brigham and Public Relations Director Jerry Hoffner welcomed Joe in, in an effort to raise funds for burn survivors and bring light to the need for burn centers. 

The first print published for the Burn Foundation was “Night Call” and the rest was history, some forty plus images later. Since then, Joe sought out sponsors to fund the project of creating prints to support the Burn foundation so there would not be any funds from the Burn Foundation utilized. Presently, President David Russell of Fire & Safety Services Ltd., of South Plainfield, N.J. has been a major sponsor for the last twenty-three years. They have sponsored the printing of the limited edition prints and the raffle tickets. Initially David’s father William Russell (President Emeritus) of Fire & Safety Services Ltd. stepped up to the plate to initially sponsor Getsinger’s firefighter art many times, featuring Pierce Fire Apparatus, for the Burn Foundation. David Russell has carried on the legacy of supporting the Burn Foundation and the artist. God bless them and Fire & Safety Services, Ltd.

This year’s image, “Last Run”, is dedicated to all the Firefighters who devoted many, many years with the fire service and finally decide to retire, remembering the last time they went on the “LAST RUN” with the fire department they served. This is also the “Last Run” for the artist who has served forty-three years creating art for the Burn Foundation, firefighters and burn survivors.  

Since 1973 the Burn Foundation has worked to benefit the Greater Philadelphia area community by providing information about preventing fires and burn injuries, supporting regional burn centers, and advocating for burn survivors and their families. This included the burn centers at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Temple University Health System, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and Thomas Jefferson University. They are also supported by a network of individual donors, volunteer organizations, corporate philanthropists, firefighters, and private foundation grants. They focus on four (4) main goals; Prevention, Education, Treatment and Recovery (burnfoundation.org).

As in every year, Joe has attended the Wildwood Firemen’s Convention to support the fundraising effort of the Burn Foundation. Last year the image and collector pin created by Getsinger was “Lil Squirt,” which was created in the 1980s but never utilized for Burn Foundation fundraising. The one-dollar raffle donations and collector pins sales last year (2022) raised $14,515.00. We hope to do better this year with this “Last Run”.  

The winner of last year’s first prize, sponsored by Fire and Safety Services. Ltd., was Dave Dilks of Hampton, N.J. He forwarded a picture of himself and a few members of the Hampton Fire Department holding the framed Giclee’ canvas #1 of “Lil Squirt,” that he won. We would like to thank all of the donations made last year to the Burn Foundation from those who attended and all of the volunteers who helped out at the Wildwood Firemen’s Convention. 

The Giclee’ canvas print was donated by John Cortese of VanGoghAgain Editions, Drexel Hill, PA. who has donated a Giclee’ canvas every year for the first prize winner.  

The full color raffle tickets for 2022 were printed by Brian Francis of Fort Nassau Graphics, West Deptford, N.J. who is now the exclusive printer of Joe’s limited edition art prints most recently for the Delaware State Police’s 100th Anniversary and this year’s “Last Run”.