Remembrance Ceremony Held For Boulder Firefighters

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - Thirty years ago two firefighters died during a training exercise in Boulder.

Their deaths were a wake up call to fire departments around the nation, and on Thursday a remembrance ceremony was held.

Scott Smith, 21, and William Duran, 30, were training inside an abandoned garage on Jan. 26, 1982, when the fire grew out of control.

Among the changes their deaths prompted is making sure firefighters get a chance to go inside the building before training.

Many departments, including the Boulder Fire Department, now have permanent training facilities.

"The Boulder Fire Department has never forgotten the sacrifice of firefighters Duran and Smith or the important lessons learned about providing safe live-fire training for firefighters," Boulder Fire Chief Larry Donner said in a prepared statement.