Englewood Firefighters Say Their Last Goodbyes As Denver Fire Takes Over
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - Sunday was bittersweet for firefighters in Englewood as the Denver Fire Department has officially taken over Englewood's fire services.
The Denver Fire Deparment has two stations close by that will now take over. Two other fire stations will now be filled with firefighters from Denver. City council members made the decision in February because of budget problems.
"Some of these people, I'm never, I probably won't see again," said Deputy Chief Dick Petau who had been with the Englewood Fire Department for more than 40 years. "Just having the whole thing sort of go away, it's hard to describe".
Now, after 108 years in service, Englewood Fire Station 21 is now Denver Fire Station 37. The Englewood Fire Department has gone from 58 firefighters down to 40, with a few retiring and moving to other departments. Most are transitioning into the Denver Fire Department.
"We're really excited to welcome them to our family," Melissa Taylor with the Denver Fire Department said. "They're a great group of men and women who are going to serve not just the city of Englewood, but the citizens of Denver as well."
Denver Fire Chief Eric Tade says the changeover will be seamless, and in the best interest of Englewood citizens.
"We'll be able to provide more redundancy in services, greater cost effectiveness for the city of Englewood, and then greater communication as we start having more regional cooperation as we provide fire protection services to all of the citizens in the Denver metro area," Tade said.
A six-week academy starts Monday for the firefighters transitioning from Englewood to Denver. Once they complete that, they'll be relocated throughout stations in Denver.
