Aurora Fire Rescue

The Civil Service Commission for the city of Aurora, Colorado, is now accepting both Entry-Level and Fast-Track Lateral Firefighter applications for Aurora Fire Rescue. The application deadline for both positions is set to close in December 2024 but either may close at any point if we have a sufficient pool of candidates. With nearly 500 firefighters and 17 fire stations serving a city with a growing population of over 390,000 and a diverse business environment, AFR responded to over 55,000 calls for service in 2023, including 1,263 fire responses. We are an all-hazards department with Hazmat, Technical Rescue, Wildlands and Swift Water specialty teams. AFR’s rates for cardiac arrest resuscitation are double the national average. Visit AuroraGov.org/JoinAFR to apply and learn more about the salary rates, minimum qualifications and benefits. Visit our YouTube channel at https://lnkd.in/gZSmutvT to learn more about our department and the fire academy.

K9 Frank and Handler Aurora Fire Rescue Lt. Jason Kester have been deployed with FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Colorado Task Force One to support areas affected by Hurricane Milton. Lt. Kester and Frank have assisted with searching and surveying in the days following Milton's landfall and are making contact with citizens to see how they are doing and provide information on aid. They are among over 70 COTF1 members and numerous other FEMA teams deployed to provide aid in the Florida area.

The Aurora Civil Service Commission is now accepting Lateral Firefighter applications for Aurora Fire Rescue. The next Fast-Track Lateral Fire Academy is projected to begin on April 7, 2025. Aurora Fire Rescue is an all-hazards department with a total of 17 fire stations serving Aurora, Colorado, a city with a growing population of over 390,000 and a diverse business environment. AFR maintains an ISO Class 1 rating which is the highest possible public protection classification. The job advertisement is set to close on December 2, 2024, at 11:59 pm. This is subject to close at any point if we have a sufficient pool of candidates. Successful candidates may be hired early and receive compensation in advance of the academy start date as a full-time administrative Fire Cadet. We recommend that every lateral applicant also submit an entry-level application (to be posted soon) to be considered in BOTH processes. Visit AuroraGov.org/JoinAFR to apply and learn more about the salary rates, minimum qualifications and benefits.

Several members of Aurora Fire Rescue are embedded in the Hurricane Helene disaster areas, conducting Urban Search & Rescue (USAR) efforts as assigned with Colorado Task Force 1 (COTF1). Helene is the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As the death toll exceeds 190 people and is rising, the rescue efforts of COTF1 become increasingly more valuable. AFR members continue to answer the call to respond to multiple areas across the USA serving in disasters that severely impact our fellow citizens.

Continuing our celebration of Firefighter Appreciation Month, Aurora Fire Rescue honors Fire Station 7 and their dedication to service. Station 7 had the highest call volume of 2023, responding to 5,701 calls for help (Fire Station 2 had the second-most with 5,696 calls). Station 7 houses a Battalion Chief, an Engine company and a Rescue. The Battalion Chief oversees Fire Stations 2, 4, 7 and 11. Engine 7 is the backbone of the station, responding to all calls for help. The Rescue is staffed three days a week with voluntary overtime by a paramedic and an EMT, and it is primarily responsible for medical calls. The Station is home to 19 firefighters and three Battalion Chiefs, each working a 24-hour shift every third day. Station 7 is managed by Fire Captain Chis Shannon, who oversees three shifts, each with one Fire Lieutenant and four firefighters. Captain Shannon started his fire career in 2002 as a volunteer in northern Colorado. Since then, he was hired with AFR in 2007, promoted to Lieutenant in 2019, and promoted again to Captain in 2022. He continues to serve the community and wants to create a positive work environment at Station 7. Earlier this week, Captain Shannon was deployed with Colorado Task Force 1 to provide disaster assistance in Florida during Hurricane Helene. Station 7 significantly impacts the community it serves, particularly the Heather Gardens active adult community. This community opened its doors around the same time as Station 7. With over 2,400 units, Heather Gardens is a home for 3,800 older adults. Heather Gardens has a unique bond with the first responders at Station 7. The community often reaches out to the fire crews for assistance and deeply appreciates their support. This special relationship has led to fire Station 7 being affectionately nicknamed "Heather Guardians," although their official mascot is "Lucky Sevens." In previous times, it was known as "Blackhawk's Bravest." A Native American tribe gave AFR permission to use the name which refers to the street that Station 7 sits on, at 2290 South Blackhawk Street. The station opened its doors on August 7, 1974. At that time, the station hosted one Fire Engine and added a Rescue Squad in the 1980s. In 2003, the station expanded, adding a basement and private bedrooms for firefighters. In 2017, the city remodeled it again with health and safety improvements, adding protection from toxic diesel exhaust.

It’s Firefighter Appreciation Month and we’d like to recognize four individuals who received awards earlier this year for outstanding service to the department in 2023. The 2024 recipients of these department honors will be recognized next spring. Several Aurora Fire Rescue members are already exhibiting exceptional heroism worthy of recognition. These members were nominated by their peers and AFR command staff and ultimately were selected by fire service leaders across the U.S. for excellence in the fire service. Their accomplishments and achievements are a testament to the great progress AFR continues to make as it strives to lead the nation in fire, rescue and emergency services. Fire Medic Nick Anderson was named Paramedic of the Year. Anderson is a dedicated instructor and a go-to paramedic when both peers and supervisors have questions on protocols. Captain Toby Lippman was selected as Staff Officer of the Year for professional excellence, integrity and commitment to quality. Fire Medic Ben Norwood was named AFR Firefighter of the Year in recognition of consistently demonstrating high standards of courage, professional excellence, moral integrity and commitment to quality. AFR’s most coveted honor is the Joe Lewand Award for Excellence in the Fire Service. Serving Aurora Fire after World War II, Lewand dedicated his life to the fire service, developing and teaching formal training programs for AFR as well as fire science curriculum at the Red Rocks Campus of the Community College of Denver. Captain Jason Haley was the recipient of the 2023 Joe Lewand Award for Excellence in Fire Service. Haley has had a significant role in the development and implementation of first-due officer procedures for structure fires and in developing a task book to formalize and enhance technical rescue training. Please join us in congratulating these individuals for their accomplishments and in thanking all AFR members for their service and dedication to the city of Aurora.

At the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial this weekend, Aurora Fire Rescue's Recruit Class 24-02 had the important task of packaging flags for safe shipping to hometowns across the United States and Canada. Each flag had been presented to the family of a fallen firefighter by members of an honor guard and represents the sacrifice made by the firefighter and their family. For the past several years, every AFR recruit class has participated in a community service project, and this was the 24-02 class project. The AFR Recruit Cadre thanks Colorado Springs Fire Department and Colorado Springs Firefighters Local 5 for allowing our recruits the honor to be trusted with such an important part of the memorial.

Aurora Fire Rescue’s Engine 2B and Falck Rocky Mountain Basic 506 crews were reunited with the man whose life they saved after he went into cardiac arrest. Joe Aguirre met with the crews to express his appreciation for their lifesaving actions and to join in presenting the crews with an Aurora Fire Rescue Phoenix Award. The Phoenix Awards are presented to AFR crews in recognition for their outstanding emergency services when a patient who receives CPR is revived and leaves the hospital neurologically intact. Joe’s survival is due to the crews' outstanding actions involving defibrillation, airway management and high-quality CPR. https://lnkd.in/gbbuy7ky

September 11. Two towers. 110 flights. 343 firefighters. 23 years. On the morning of the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 343 local and out-of-state firefighters gathered in Denver to participate in the 9/11 Memorial Denver Stair Climb -- an event that commemorates the 343 firefighters who perished on September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center in New York City. Aurora Fire Rescue had the second-largest representation at this event. Among the 343 participants from the fire service were 24 AFR members, who climbed 110 flights of stairs while wearing nearly 100 pounds of head-to-toe firefighter protective gear, including air packs, helmets, masks and heavy tools. Each participant climbs for a fallen firefighter no longer with us, completing their mission. This Stair Climb is only open to firefighters and is not a race. Established in 2005, this highly physical and emotional feat – which for experienced firefighters takes about an hour to complete -- serves as a poignant reminder of the 343 firefighters who responded to their last call that fateful morning. Their courage and sacrifice, as well as the memory of the thousands of lives lost on that tragic day, resonates deeply within the fire service and beyond. Their heroism exemplifies the highest ideal of public service, and events like the 9/11 Memorial Denver Stair Climb serve to honor their courage and sacrifice. Since the 9/11 attacks, over 11,000 firefighters who survived live with World Trade Center-related diseases, and over 3,500 have been diagnosed with various cancers. Aurora Fire Rescue is proud to participate in the Stair Climb each year. We have participated every year since 2007. Every year that we've been involved, we've carried the title of highest attendance, except this year. Thornton Fire had three more participants than us this year. This year was the first year that the AFR Honor Guard led the opening ceremonies. The Stair Climb is an opportunity to pay tribute to the fallen and honor those who still suffer from 9/11-related repercussions. The bravery and sacrifice of our first responder community, our firefighter brothers and sisters, and their families and loved ones will never be forgotten. We celebrate their memory and the price they paid for the sake of others. By this we know love, that they laid down their lives for us, and we ought to do the same for others. We will "Never Forget." https://lnkd.in/gusYNTAe

Please join us in pausing today to honor the memory of the 343 FDNY firefighters and nearly 3000 Americans who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Gone but never forgotten.