"Firefighter down" One of the worst phrases in the English language

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

Denver Fire Department Fire Station 9:

One of the firefighters at my husband's firehouse was found at about 5:00 this morning on the floor in a house fire. He is two months from retirement, about 57 years old, a fairly healthy man according to his recent physical examination. No one knows how it happened. The alarm on his breathing apparatus sounded, just as it was supposed to do, after one minute of no movement.

The housefire was a serious one. A woman that firefighters pulled out will not live. She is in a hyperbolic (not sure of the word he used, so if someone else knows the proper term, please correct me) chamber trying to get the carbon monoxide from her lungs, according to my husband. The other family members did get out on time, though they were coughing from smoke inhalation. The firefighters from station 9 were tending to the woman when they heard a firefighter on their radios shout, "firefighter down." Men from stations 8 and 15 had found Rich Montoya and had already pulled him out. He was not breathing.

A scan is showing damage to his brain, but he is now breathing, though we don't know many details. The news media has the wrong information as usual. Rick went to the station this morning to be with the guys who work on that shift. The firehouse is a wonderful, warm place and is truly a brotherhood of guys that live together for 24 hours at a time, two days a week. This is a sad day for all of them.

Please keep his family in your prayers. Also, keep praying for the safety of all of our nation's heroes.
__________________

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

as a proud owner of a "Survivor of the Shield" license plate for my car ... I agree completely, there are no more horrible words than "Officer Down". Whether that officer is one of the bravest, or one of the finest.

My thoughts and prayers are with that fine man and his family and friends.

[SOS8260456 Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close SOS8260456]

He will be in my prayers.

Lisa

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

Sending him and you all a shower of concern, love, prayer and protecting Light. My Dad was a NYC FF during the years that all they wore were a hat, gloves, boots, and a long coat.....no oxygen. So we feel with you all.

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

Update on firefighter Rich Montoya, hero

Rich Montoya has no brain activity and will be taken off of life support soon. He has a living will and wanted to be sure that he would not be left on life support more than seven days. It has been five now.

The people had piles of junk all over their house, with barely a path to get through. If the house was not such a mess, Rich might not have fallen. He was found under a mattress and a door.

Sad.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Rich Montoya has no brain activity and will be taken off of life support soon. He has a living will and wanted to be sure that he would not be left on life support more than seven days. It has been five now.

The people had piles of junk all over their house, with barely a path to get through. If the house was not such a mess, Rich might not have fallen. He was found under a mattress and a door.

Sad.

Very sad but I am glad he had the foresight to have stipulations in a living will.

I am sorry that our prayers were not enough.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Rich Montoya has no brain activity and will be taken off of life support soon. He has a living will and wanted to be sure that he would not be left on life support more than seven days. It has been five now.

The people had piles of junk all over their house, with barely a path to get through. If the house was not such a mess, Rich might not have fallen. He was found under a mattress and a door.

Sad.

That is terrible news.....very sad indeed, I feel for his family. I will keep them in my prayers.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

Rich Montoya has no brain activity and will be taken off of life support soon. He has a living will and wanted to be sure that he would not be left on life support more than seven days. It has been five now.

The people had piles of junk all over their house, with barely a path to get through. If the house was not such a mess, Rich might not have fallen. He was found under a mattress and a door.

Sad.

How sad this is for the family and it must have made a deep impression on your husband too, Cindy. My thoughts and prayers are with both families and you too.

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

Thanks to all

This is such a difficult day. I am sure his wife is suffering terribly. Rich was actually 61 years old and was fairly healthy. I guess he was a big exercise buff. He was retiring very soon.

All of the firefighters are having a difficult time. The media is still reporting him as in the hospital, not as brain dead, because the family wants to keep that information quiet for now.

The dangers of the job are really brought back into perspective. We go many months without any incidents, then we have this happen and it is another death.

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

The ventilator was disconnected on Sunday

He died right away because he could not breathe on his own.

The funeral is Thursday. Rick will be with the firefighters, all in full dress uniforms, I will sit with the wives, hundreds of us will be there. This just brings the danger of the job back into the realm of possibility. There has been such a lull between firefighter deaths in our area, so we get a little too comfortable, believing it could not happen to us.

The family that lived in the home that burned had boxes and junk everywhere, barely a path to move. The arson investigators found drug paraphernalia, which may or may not have been the cause. The people may be charged, if that is the case. All of the people who lived there got out, but Rich did not. I am so angry. Mostly I am sad.