Tom Jester, a 53-year-old Helena man who suffered burns to 50 percent of his body when his demolition-derby car was engulfed in flames at this year’s fair, has been taken off his ventilator and can now communicate by whispering.

According to his brother, Wally Jester, Tom should be able to eat soft foods such as applesauce starting today.

“He gets ice chips now, so he’s a very happy camper. He said ice chips are better than nothing,” Wally said in a cell phone interview while he visited his brother at the University of Utah burn center Saturday. “It’s a milestone to be able to smile and breathe on his own.”

Since July 27, the day of the fire, Jester has been in Salt Lake City, where he remains in critical but stable condition. Wally Jester said his brother is expected to take a few steps with the aid of a walker today as well.

“You just look at that grin on his face. He’s a trooper. I am so proud of him. He gives a whole new meaning to the word courage,” his brother said. “That the little varmint could still get that smile cranked up that big while in so much pain is amazing.”

Last week, Tom Jester endured a six-hour surgery to graft skin from his back to his burns, which are second- and third-degree and mainly on his legs and arms. His neck also was burned by the flames, which compromised his airway and injured his esophagus.

According to eyewitness accounts from the derby, a transmission line ruptured during the event and sprayed into Tom Jester’s 1978 Chrysler Cordoba, which subsequently caught fire.

The accident has caused many to wonder if the emergency response was adequate and if steps can be taken to ensure something similar never occurs.

Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds manager Keith Hatch said the fair board and the Jaycees, who sponsored the derby, will soon meet to assess the incident.

One of the topics discussed will be whether an ambulance should be mandatory at all future derbies. A St. Peter’s Hospital ambulance was on the scene during the rodeo and every day at the fair except the Sunday when the derby took place.

Katherine Jackson, the co-owner of Eagle Ambulance, said her company had covered the derby and rodeo at the fairgrounds for the last seven years. She said she was approached by fairgrounds staff to do so again this year but couldn’t due to staffing issues.

Don Wells, supervisor of St. Peter’s Ambulance, said he was told an ambulance would not be necessary on the day of the derby.

“I asked about it and was told we were not needed because it was a breakdown day,” Wells said.

Wells said, the hospital — which donated 80 hours of medical personnel — would have supplied an ambulance for the derby if it had been approached.

Hatch said he recalled asking St. Peter’s Ambulance to be at the fairgrounds on Sunday.

“I need to visit with those folks and see if we had a miscommunication,” he said.

Though there was no ambulance on the scene, there was a paramedic who is also a firefighter with the Helena Fire Department, which oversaw the event for the first time this year. That role was previously taken by local volunteer fire departments. One of those was the Lewis and Clark volunteer squad — of which Wally Jester is chief.

“We had the same coverage this year, just different people doing it,” Hatch said.

According to Wells, the ambulance was dispatched within three seconds of the initial call, which came in at 3:52 p.m. The ambulance took 18 minutes to arrive on scene, an average time for calls that distance from the hospital, he said.

The personnel on scene were able to install IVs and bandage Jester’s wounds while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Wells said the only thing not on hand that would have been available in an ambulance was a narcotic painkiller.

“I don’t know how much it truly would have helped the man’s outcome,” he added.

One of three firefighters at the derby, Mike Kauzlarich, a trained EMT, said Tom Jester’s care was not lacking.

“Tom received very definitive and effective treatment on scene,” he said. “We hope the best for Tom’s recovery.

“You try not to second-guess yourself. You try your best with the resources you have. We had the best response put together we could.”

Kauzlarich, who was armed with canister of fire-suppressing foam, said one issue was that the cars didn’t stop like they should have once the fire started. A siren was sounded to alert the drivers to the fire. All the cars remaining in the arena were supposed to halt, but some didn’t, he said, so he had to maneuver around the moving cars to get to Jester’s blazing vehicle and douse it with the foam.

“It was a bit chaotic there,” he said. “It was a very traumatic event. It was extremely shocking.”

Within seven seconds of the fire erupting, Darell Silvan, another driver, began spraying the flames with the fire extinguisher he had in his car. Jester was in the burning car for about a minute before he was able to unbuckle his seatbelt and lift himself out through the windshield hole.

The fire was out by the time the firefighter manning the hose got to the nozzle, Kauzlarich said.

“There’s a lot of speculation out there. I can’t really say what would or should be changed,” he said. “Could someone get to him quicker? I don’t know. That’s speculation. Would it be quicker if we had firetrucks lining the arena? I don’t know.”

Wally Jester said he was impressed with the quick action of the other drivers and the firefighters.

“Even if the truck was sitting right on top of the car, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. If my crew were there, we wouldn’t have done it any better. Tommy’s care was immediate,” he said. “Nothing that happened that day is anybody’s fault. His medical care was not lacking at all. The critical point was the timing.”

Silvan, whom Wally Jester credits with saving his brother’s life, said he hopes the incident will cause improvement on safety in derbies but not shut them down in Helena completely.

“I’ll keep derbying. It might not be tomorrow; it might be a spell,” he said.

One suggestion brought up has been fire-retardant suits. Jester was wearing coveralls with shorts underneath and a T-shirt.

Jester’s cousin, J.T. Quillan, who also ran in the derby that day, said he has purchased one and knows of at least 10 other derby participants who have done the same.

Darell Silvan isn’t so sure that’s the answer.

“If this happened every derby, I would say have fire suits. I don’t think fire suits are a bad solution but they do get pricey,” he said.

Silvan’s brother, Corey, who was second to the car with a fire extinguisher, said his concern is that the suits, which cost about $175, would get too hot for the drivers.

He suggested that drivers have more protection on the lines that go through the cabs of cars. Jester was sprayed with approximately 400-degree transmission fluid before the car was engulfed in flames.

Corey Silvan also thought having fire extinguishers, which are mandatory in each car, posted around the arena might be a good change as well.

“There are a lot of things that can go wrong. You can’t really account for all of them,” he added.

Hatch said additional safety precautions will be discussed.

“If it’s feasible, we’ll do it, if it would save us from tragedy,” he said.

“It’s an unsafe event, period. There’s the potential for a lot to go wrong,” Hatch added.

Wally Jester said he is distressed it took a tragedy like this to make changes.

“We need to move forward. Let’s do what we can do to make the event safer down the road,” he said.

Tom Jester will be in the intensive care unit a minimum of 60 days and will likely remain in the burn center at least six months. A bank account has been set up in Jester’s name to help with his costs at American Federal Savings Bank.

A benefit pool tournament is set for noon Sept. 13 at Eagles 16.

Wally Jester, Quillan and Phaedra Raymond, who runs the derby for the Jaycees, are working on a larger benefit for the future. Anyone interested in helping with fundraising efforts can contact Raymond at 475-3472 or phaedraray@aol.com.

“Tommy’s touched a lot of lives. There are enough people who love that little squirt,” his brother said.

Cards and letters for Tom Jester can be sent to University of Utah Hospital burn trauma unit c/o Tom Jester 50 N. Medical Drive Salt Lake City, UT 84132.

Reporter Angela Brandt: 447-4078 or angela.brandt@helenair.com