St. Patrick’s Day Parade The Denver Saint Patrick’s Day Parade was held on March 11th, 2023. Thousands lined the streets in LoDo for the annual parade. First responders from Aurora Fire Department, Aurora Police Department, Colorado Emerald Society, Colorado Rangers, Colorado State Patrol, Denver Fire Department, Denver Health Paramedics, Denver Police Department, Denver Sheriff, West Metro Fire Rescue and others either …
Denver Polar Plunge The Denver Polar Plunge was held on March 5th, 2023 at Washington Park in Denver. The community came out with first responders to brave the cold waters to plunge in the pool to help raise money for the Special Olympics Colorado. The 5K Run/Walk was also part of the event before the plunge. Denver Fire Department Dive …
RMR Technical Rope Training On March 5th, 2023 Rocky Mountain Rescue Group conducted technical rope training at both the Dome and Elephant Buttress, both located outside the City of Boulder along Boulder Canyon. Two teams worked on reaching a simulated injured climber that needed to be lowered off a cliff face to a position below. RMRG an all-volunteer group that …
Rescue 50 Commissioning Ceremony On March 4th, 2023 at approximately 11:00 the Florissant Fire Protection District held a commissioning ceremony for their new to them Rescue 50. The Department invited the public to help wet down and push in their new light rescue unit. The ritual dates back to the late 1800s when horse drawn wagons were used throughout the …
Academy Class Training Burn The West Metro Academy Class 23-01 held their training burn on March 1st 2023 at the West Metro Fire Training Center in Lakewood to get first-hand lesson in fire behavior. The recruits have been going through the academy for the past few weeks and the recruit class built 3 structures to burn. There are a total …
Academy Class 23-01 The recruits from West Metro Fire Rescue, Arvada Fire Protection District and Castle Rock Fire Rescue have been going through the academy for the past few weeks and the recruit class built three structures to burn. The structures were burned down on March 1st, 2023 at the West Metro Fire Training Center in Lakewood to get first-hand lesson in …
K9 Graffit Memorial A memorial service was held on February 27th, 2023 for Jefferson County Sheriff K9 Graffit at the Flatirons Church in Genesee. Hundreds of first responders and K9 units from all over the state honored Graffit at the funeral. Graffit was shot and killed on February 13th, 2023 when Griffit’s and his handler Deputy Zachary Oliver responded to …
Interagency Wildland Fire Academy 38 recruits from the South Group (SOCO) in El Paso County participated in a wildland training exercise at Willow Springs Ponds in Fountain on February 25th, 2023. The training completed a month long wildland firefighter academy hosted by the Southern Colorado Interagency Wildland Fire Team. The training, which included classes on wildland firefighter training, introduction to …
Station 7 Dedication On February 23rd, 2023 Thornton Fire Department dedicated their new Station 7 located at 15705 York St. in the Orchard Farms area in the northwest side of the City of Thornton. The new Station 7 will serve the areas around E-470 between 1-25 and Colorado Blvd. and the Washington St. corridor from 144th Ave. to Hwy. 7, …
Confined Space Rescue Training The North Area Technical Rescue Team and Boulder Fire-Rescue Department conducted confined space rescue training at Station 52 in Brighton on February 17th, 2023. Firefighters practiced rescuing a victim from a crawl space underneath the station. NATRT responds to technical rescue in the suburbs north of Denver. The team specializes in rope, confined space, trench and …
Louisville Ice Rescue Training Louisville Fire Protection District conducted ice rescue training at Harper Lake off McCaslin Blvd. in Louisville the week of February 14th, 2023. Additional information and photos by Chris Rodgers / Code 10 Photography
Retirement Ceremony Thornton Fire Department held a Transfer of Command ceremony on February 7th, 2023 at Station 1 to officially pass command from Fire Chief Gordie Olson to Interim Fire Chief Steve Kelley. This tradition involved many memorable moments including removing and pinning of the Fire Chief badge by spouses, collar brass pinning by past chiefs and presentation of the …
Annual Awards Ceremony Arvada Fire Protection District held their annual Awards Ceremony for the year 2022 on January 31st, 2023 at the Storyline Church, 14605 W. 64th Ave. in Arvada. The ceremony featured the Arvada Fire Honor Guard, Pipe and Drum band, a bell ceremony, and the following awards: Firefighter of the Year: Lt. Derrick Varela. Employee of the Year: …
Arvada Ice Rescue Training Arvada Fire Protection District held their annual ice rescue training for all of the shifts, which included time spent in the classroom and on the ice the week of January 23rd, 2023. Water and ice rescue is one of the district four special operations. Members go through an annual training to keep their skills and muscle …
Airport Familiarization Training On January 28th, 2023 South Metro Fire Rescue conducted familiarization training at Centennial Airport. Multiple units spent part of their morning in the airport administration office reviewing responses to the facility and then toured the grounds familiarizing themselves with entrances, resources and hazards. South Metro has two stations with Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting apparatus that respond to …
Ice Rescue Training On January 28th, 2023 West Metro Fire Rescue held one of their annual ice rescue trainings at the Crown Hill Open Space Park on W. 26th Ave. near Kipling St. Teams participated in two scenarios, one with a rope throw bag and the other were a member went onto the ice then in the water to effect …
Engine 2503 Push-In Ceremony Boulder Fire-Rescue Department held a push-in and a wet-down ceremony on January 23rd, 2023 to put their new refurbished (2010 Pierce Arrow XT) Engine 2503 (Engine 3) into service. This engine is stationed at Station 3, 1585 30th St. and the refurbishment was done by Firetrucks Unlimited. Engine 2503 originally went into service in 2010 as Engine …
Station 8 Hose Uncoupling On January 23rd, 2023 the Grand Junction Fire Department held an opening ceremony with a hose uncoupling for the new Station 8. Members assigned to Station 8 on and off duty, Clifton Fire Protection District, administrative staff, police department command staff, city officials, contractors and builders gathered to celebrate with the public. Fire Chief Watkins, members …
Pump & Tank Operations Training South Metro Fire Rescue conducted portable tank and pump operations training at the Joint Services Facility on January 22nd, 2023. Portable tanks are used to store high volumes of water at scenes without access to fire hydrants. Firefighters also used the opportunity to work on tasks in their engineer’s packet as they prepare for an …
Denver Ice Rescue Training The Denver Fire Department conducted ice rescue training in City Park on January 21st, 2023. Several crews stationed in the area, donned ice rescue suits and practiced extracting victims from the frigid water of Ferril Lake. Crews practice regularly to be ready when these skills are actually needed. The recent weather and significant temperature swings has …