3 a.m. Idea Sparks Pilgrimage to the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial – Part 1

The loss of Seattle firefighter Matt Runte, who had also been a friend, spurs the 1,400-mile road trip

By Steve Baer 

At  3 o’clock in the morning, lying wide awake in my bunk after a “nothing” run, it seemed like the greatest idea I’d ever had! I slid out of bed, grabbed a note pad, and by the light of the telephone LED, I jotted down the broad strokes.   

Later that morning, when I woke up and found the pad, I could see a lot of daylight needed to be flushed out between my so called “broad strokes.”

Here’s what I had:

1. Get an RV
2. Drive 1,400 miles to the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial next September in Colorado Springs, CO
3. Convince a few other firefighters to go with me and help drive
4. Turn the 11-day road trip into a photo essay that people would want to look at

Like I said, lots of daylight … I folded it up and put it in my bag.

Let me take you back a few years for the WHY.

On Dec. 8, 2021, a friend and fire brother of mine, Matt Runte, died unexpectedly from a work-related condition. He was a bright star in the Seattle Fire Department, a husband and a father. He was just 44 years old. 

When the announcement came that Matt’s name would be added to the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in 2024, it made me realize the importance of this event for my department and his family.

For the past 15 years, the Seattle Fire Department has been consistently attending the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial. Our footprint at the event has grown to include our Honor Guard (of which Matt was the commander), The Pipes and Drums, and a logistics team that caravans to the location, carrying all the equipment.

I, on the other hand, had never been to the memorial. With my 30 years in the fire service, I can’t really say why I’d never made it a priority before. I just hadn’t. But this was the year.  

My idea was to try and combine my love for Matt and photography into a photo essay of the road trip, in the hopes it might bring people some joy. I had about six months to pull this all together.

My first step was to start asking around, to see if anybody wanted to join me in my imaginary RV. It seems I already hinted to the fact I don’t have an RV, but we’ll circle back to that later. I sent out emails asking if anybody wanted to spend 11 days with me on this trip. The topic also came up in a union meeting, and I probably asked a few guys in the restroom when they were least expecting it. Big surprise, no takers. So I decided to jump to a different “broad stroke:” some financial help with the plan.

I reached out to my friend Kory Pearn, who’s the editor-in-chief of CRACKYL magazine. I was hoping he’d help find some potential fire service sponsors for my plan. After just a few conversations, he stepped up and said CRACKYL wanted to help with the whole thing. And just like that, I had the first piece of the puzzle in place.

Back to the RV part. Have I mentioned yet I don’t own an RV? Well, I don’t. Come to think of it, I didn’t even have any friends with an RV. But, I’ll save that part of the story for next time.