Denver firefighters opened their doors and their hearts to share painful lessons to help improve firefighter safety across the country and around the world. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) has released Denver Fire Department: Leadership So Everyone Goes Home, a documentary highlighting the department’s efforts to make improvements after the tragic loss of three Denver firefighters over a six-year period.
The documentary, produced by STATter911 Communications in association with Greg Guise Media and PC Productions, focuses on the line-of-duty-deaths of Firefighter Robert Crump in 2000, Assistant Chief Charles Drennan Jr. in 2001 and Lt. Richard Montoya in 2006. Members of the department, from the rank of firefighter up to the fire chief, share their insights into the loss of these three men and talk about other incidents where Denver firefighters have been seriously injured.
The video has been added to NFFF’s training program for firefighters that shares the same name, Leadership So Everyone Goes Home (LEGH). The class is designed to assist the chief level officer identify issues that could lead to a line of duty death or serious injury. It addresses today’s challenges in creating a safer environment firefighters.
“We wish to recognize the members of the Denver Fire Department for their willingness to re-visit some very painful incidents in the department’s history and share these important lessons,” said NFFF Executive Director Chief Ron Siarnicki. “The programs they’ve instituted and the leadership Chief Eric Tade has demonstrated help to further our mission of preventing firefighter deaths and injuries.”
“The Denver Fire Department has partnered with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in support of their mission to honor, assist and prevent line of duty deaths,” explained Denver Fire Chief Eric Tade. “The purpose of this video documentary is to honor all of our fallen firefighters by telling these stories and learning from the incidents to help our members and all departments prevent future tragedies. The Denver Fire Department will continue to evaluate best practices and implement direct policy changes when needed to execute the most efficient and safest environment to provide all hazards mitigation for our citizens.”
