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 …
Elbert Controlled Burn The Elbert Fire Protection District conducted a controlled burn in the 11300 block of County Rd. 94 on January 14th, 2023. The department occasionally conducts controlled burns on private property to provide training to their members and help the property owners mitigate unsafe structures and other hazards. Units on scene: Elbert: Chief 231, Brush 231, Brush 232, …
Peyton Recruit Training The Peyton Fire Protection District conducted portable tank operation training for their new members outside their station on January 14th, 2023. The new recruits learned how to set up the portable tank and fill it with water. Portable water tanks are often utilized to store water on the scene when hydrants are not available. This allows the …
Joint Ice Rescue Training On January 14th, 2023 Hygiene Fire Protection District and Lyons Fire Protection District conducted a joint ice rescue training at the McCall Lake by Longmont. Regular joint ice rescue trainings helps keep fire crews with their skills and remain familiar with their specialized equipment that is needed to complete the rescues when needed. Hygiene Fire District …
Ice Rescue Training The South Adams County Fire Department conducted ice rescue training at the Reunion Pond in Commerce City on January 6th, 2023. Firefighters rotated through several scenarios to hone their basic ice rescue techniques. Crews from Platte Valley Ambulance were also on scene to run mock evaluation exercises on victims removed from the frozen water.
Meet & Greet Finalists On January 5th, 2023 Aurora Fire Rescue committee members hosted a meet and greet at the Aurora Municipal Center Lobby for community members to interact with the finalists of the AFR Fire Chief panel. The selection process includes a 2 day in person review with council members, the mayor, community panel members, city executive team and city …