Copyright 2006 The Denver Post
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The Denver Post
Rich Montoya didn’t ask to join the pantheon of heroes who have given their own lives so that others may live. Just 15 shifts away from retirement, Montoya, 61, was anticipating lavishing time on his grandchildren and the golf game he approached with perhaps more enthusiasm than finesse.
But Montoya didn’t hesitate last week when responding to a burning home at 4306 Thompson Court. Learning someone was trapped inside, he and other firefighters entered the building, willingly taking the risk they had undergone so many times before. They saved the life of 16-year-old Raquel Gutierrez, who is now in fair condition at University Hospital.
But their success came at a high price. While no one knows yet exactly what happened, Montoya was fatally injured in the line of valor. Sunday he was removed from life support and passed away at Denver Health Medical Center.
Despite continuing efforts to reduce the risk of death and injury, firefighting remains a dangerous occupation. Firefighters can be injured just racing to the scene of a fire. Buildings can collapse. There is the ever-present risk of smoke inhalation. These and other risks claimed the lives of 437 firefighters on the job from 1992 to 2001 across the U.S. Then the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks killed 343 firefighters and paramedics in a single day, along with 23 police officers. The nation will never forget the image of these men and women running up the same stairs that terrified citizens were running down.
In the case of Montoya, The Post can only offer our condolences to his family and echo the tributes already offered by his colleagues who routinely pit their courage and skill against the irreducible dangers of the job.
Rich Montoya’s life was well lived. Nothing can erase the loss of the golden years he could have spent with family and friends. But their lives and the fabric of our whole community have been enriched by the legacy of his courage and selflessness.