Photos by Steve Baer | FireDog Photos

Thursday

Thanks for joining me on my fourth and final article chronicling our 11-day RV trip in September to the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colo. If you’d like a refresher, the first three articles are here:

With the memorial quickly approaching on Saturday, Thursday was the day for most of the heavy lifting and preparation in and around the Memorial Plaza.

IAFF Local 5 and Colorado Springs Fire Department used this time to put the finishing touches on Memorial Plaza by setting up chairs, port-a potties and AV equipment. They also did one hell of a job being great hosts and tour guides to all of us out-of-towners.

Just up the hill from the memorial is a huge grass field. Early Thursday morning was when all the visiting fire departments began grabbing some real estate to pitch their tents. For the next three days, these tents would act as their home base. Members gathered here for shade, shelter, meal prep and camaraderie. Some groups kept it simple with just a single pop-up, but Seattle goes big with multiple tents, generators, disco balls, and a full kitchen.

Leaving the RV park that morning, we got there just in time to watch the Seattle crew put the finishing touches on our sprawling complex. Until Saturday night, this area was the club house and break room for all our visiting Seattle family, Honor Guard and Pipes and Drums.

With the tents set up, this was a great time to walk the grounds and meet other members from all over North America.

Later that afternoon, I met up with my friend, Battalion Chief Grant Tinker of Colorado Springs Fire Department. He gave me an awesome tour of their city and his department. We stopped by the fire academy, visited their fire museum and I even got to nerd out on their drone program at a small brush fire.

Friday

With only one day remaining to prep, Friday was a full day of practice at the Memorial for Honor Guards and Pipe Bands.

Honor Guard members from all over the U.S. and Canada take this day to learn how to work together on the Memorial Plaza. Hundreds practice their roles as reader, presenter, wreath teams, and flag and bell teams.

Further up on the field, also practicing and working together, were hundreds of pipers and drummers. Groups represented here were bagpipers, side drummers, tenors and bass. After several rounds of practicing in smaller instrument-specific groups, they eventually come together as a full ensemble, marching and playing as one. These men and women are at it all day in the full sun. The nearby tents filled with snacks, cold beverages and sunscreen really came in handy.

Friday night culminated in a short parade in downtown Colorado Springs, full of pipe bands and firetrucks.  The crowds were shoulder-to-shoulder, and the best I could capture was a photo of somebody else’s cellphone. Next time, I’ll get my butt there sooner.

After the parade, the pipe bands take over the dance floor of a nearby honky-tonk called Cowboys. A good time was had by all.

I’m sure for some, Friday night easily stretched into Saturday morning, but my two travel companions and I opted for a ride home to take our old-man vitamins and get our Class A uniforms ready for the morning.

Saturday

With the sun rising over the RV park, the day had finally come that we’d traveled all this way for. Unlike years before, where the daytime temp climbed well into the 90s, we lucked out with a high in the 80s and some night-time showers. I can only imagine in years past how hot it must have been in full sun, wearing all that dark wool.

We got to the Memorial Park early that morning with our uniforms in travel bags. Having the tents made storage and changing awesome. We took one more lap around the field visiting with old friends and making new ones. A little before 9 a.m., we jumped into our dress uniforms and headed to Pikes Peak Ave., this time for a parade, made up of firefighter motorcycle clubs and local fire apparatus. This marked the real start for the day.

With the motorcycles parked, it was time to for the ceremony to begin. Many found seats with loved ones, friends or family, while others chose to remain standing off on the periphery.  Having not been here before I wasn’t really sure where I should position myself to observe and respectfully capture photos. I ended up moving around a bit, trying to stay out of the sight line of others, but also getting the shots I had come for.

The images I was most fortunate to capture were those of our Honor Guard. Their goal that day was to honor Seattle firefighter Matt Runte’s memory, and to care for his family in attendance. They made us all very proud.

Once Matt’s name had been called and his flag delivered to his family, I felt free to move about the complex to try to photograph this monumental event. Here are a few of my favorites:

When the ceremony was complete, people started making their way up the field to the tents.  On my way up, I got the opportunity to do a few group photos.

The IAFF put together a great livestream of the even that can now be found on YouTube.

The rest of Saturday was filled with camaraderie, remembrance and cleanup.

Most folks packed up and left town on Sunday.

The three of us took the long way home to Seattle, spending a few days exploring Yellowstone National Park and some beautiful state parks along the way, but I’ll save that another time.