VIDEO: When Denver’s Fire Station Number 1 was built in 1909, firetrucks were still pulled by horses. One-hundred-fourteen years later, the horses are gone but the building remains as a tribute to the men and women who have dedicated their lives to keeping the city safe.
“The fire house itself is just something that’s very cherished,” says long time firefighter Steve Montoya. After 30 years in the Denver Fire Department, Steve has spent much of the past decade honoring his fellow firefighters at the Denver Firefighters Museum.
“There's an old saying, ‘Once a Marine always a Marine.’ Same with firefighters. You know, it's something you never leave.” The show piece of the museum is a truck known as EO4. It’s the truck that carries firefighters to their final resting places. Steve was in charge of rebuilding it, tearing it all the way down and replacing the motor, transmission and more. He is also the driver during funerals for firefighters.