By Anthony Mestas
The Pueblo Chieftain
ORDWAY, Colo. — A long procession of slow-moving fire trucks rolled down Colorado Street Saturday as family members, friends and hundreds of uniformed firefighters remembered John Schwartz Jr. and Terry DeVore.
The two Olney Springs volunteer firefighters who died Tuesday while on a call to help douse a raging wildfire here.
Onlookers watched as 78 fire rescue vehicles drove under a gigantic American flag hoisted on ladder trucks. Some of the vehicles were the same ones emergency crews took, with sirens blaring, to the fire that claimed their fallen friends’ lives.
About 500 firefighters from across the state joined the family and friends in remembering DeVore, 30 and Schwartz, 38. The two were unaware that a Colorado 96 bridge had collapsed during the fire and crashed into a ravine on their way to fight the blaze that damaged or destroyed 24 buildings in and around town.
Both men were full-time Colorado Department of Corrections’ correctional officers at the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility. Several correctional officers also attended the memorial in uniform.
The memorial service drew a large crowd Saturday morning that packed Crowley County High School gym.
The two men were remembered as friends and mentors to many, with an affection for practical jokes and outdoor activities
They loved their families and jobs as firefighters above all.
Kevin Klein, director of the Colorado Division of Fire Safety, called Tuesday a sad day for Colorado.
State Rep. Cory Gardner said, “Thank God for the sons of Crowley County, like Terry and John.”
Olney Springs Fire Chief Russell Bennett said that Schwartz and DeVore were both heroes, but that neither of them would want to be called a hero.
“What can you say about two heroes that their actions haven’t already said?” Bennett asked the crowd of about 800.
“It takes a special kind of person to be a volunteer firefighter. Some stay for the long haul.
“Both of these men were stayers and that is very important,” Bennett said.
Bennett wiped at tears as he described how he came to know the two men and their antics.
“I can tell you a lot of stories about Terry, but we all know that he wouldn’t want me to go on and on so I picked one,” Bennett said.
Bennett drew laughs from the crowd when telling the story of a fire they were both called out to and how Terry made him feel like an “old timer.”
“He loved life almost as much as he loved his wife and children,” Bennett said.
He said that Schwartz’s boys were his heart and soul. “There was no job too big and no job too small. He fought fire like he lived his life, with all his heart and soul,” Bennett said.
Olney Springs volunteer firefighter John Bradshaw said both men were fun to be around. He was especially close with DeVore.
“Terry was and is my hero. He will live on in what we do,” Bradshaw said. Bradshaw said he enjoyed DeVore’s practical jokes and smart mouth.
“It became a ritual (for DeVore) to put fresh pop cans in my boots, just because. Invariably I stopped keeping my gear at the fire home,” Bradshaw said
Bradshaw said Schwartz wanted to volunteer more than anyone he knew.
“We six are left. We are down, but not for the count,” he said to the remaining Olney Springs firefighters. “Any of you all call Olney Springs, we’ll be there.”
Rick Martinez, a local resident, delivered an emotional message to both families.
“Thank you all for giving the greatest sacrifice of all. I never had any heroes in my family and in my life before. But I’ll tell you I got two now,” he said fighting tears.”
Schwartz’s friend for the past six years, Sky Mae Bogner, also spoke.
“He had a great personality. When things got hard, the only thing he would say to me was, ‘Do things today that others won’t, so that tomorrow you can do what others can’t.’ I hope his boys can never forget who he was.”
Other friends spoke saying that the two men made the best of everything and loved being firefighters. They commented on the quiet strength of Schwartz and the practical jokes of DeVore.
Ari Zavaras, executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, said the two firefighters were more than average people.
“They had a lot of similarities. They were both born in Pueblo. There must be something good in the water in Pueblo, is all I can say,” Zavaras said.
“They served their communities to exceed what the average person would. They were very friendly.
“They worked together and they served together always out helping somebody. Although these men were the salt of the earth, I hesitate to call them common.
“I call them heroes,” Zavaras said.
State Fire Chief Association President Doug Forsman said that although he didn’t know DeVore and Schwartz, he felt an incredible attachment to them.
“They were good people and they were doing good work. They were protecting this community in a time of unusual peril.
“They were doing nothing more than being heros,” Forsman said.
Mike Holden, a correctional officer and member of the Arkansas Valley Emergency Response Team who served with DeVore, presented his family their flag.
The families also were presented with two American flags that flew over the state capitol in Denver. They also were presented with two American and state flags from the fire color guard.
In a somber moment, Schwartz and DeVore took their last fire call.
Crowley County Fire Chief Dale Dillon leaned over to his left activating his shirt microphone calling Crowley County dispatch for their last call.
In dead silence from the crowd, the radio beeped and buzzed as the dispatcher made a call for the two firefighters, then thanked them for their service.
Fire officials also rang a ceremonial fire bell three times for each fallen firefighter, which represents the end of their duty.
After the service, Jacques Wiggins said losing his best friend Schwartz is like losing a brother.
Wiggins, also a corrections officer and Olney Springs volunteer firefighter, placed Schwartz’s badge into the honor guard’s American flag. He, Schwartz, and DeVore were called the Three Musketeers because they were always together.
“There is not a thing that we didn’t do together. I will miss them both,” Wiggins said.
Wiggins said that he is honored that so many firefighters came to the service.
“They are honoring my friends for what they did and stood for in life. They died they way they lived their lives,” he said.
Both men left behind families.
DeVore had a wife, Jennifer, and four children, Ryan, 9; Brianna, 9; Katie, 6 and Jeremiah, 3. Schwartz was divorced and had four children, Cody, 15; Jacob, 11; Wyatt, 6 and John, 4.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.