Billl Larson named firefighter of the year > General Recognition > Stories > Centennial

RECENT STORIES

Cold water ( Jared Keller )
Please, no air guitar at the table ( Jared Keller )
Youth orchestra to offer inspiration, friends, fun ( Chris Jiles )
Finding the way to her dreams ( Maurine Daniels )
Kel's Corner: If it's ending, it's just beginning ( Kelley Robinson )

share a story | more postings »

YourHub.com \\ Centennial \\ Stories \\ Kudos & Milestones \\ General Recognition

Billl Larson named firefighter of the year

On 1/8/2008

e-mail to a friend | print this | link to this

NEXT › ‹ PREVIOUS

Contributed by: Andy Lyon on 1/11/2008

A 25-year veteran firefighter/paramedic and former pro-football player has been named South Metro Fire Rescue's 2007 Firefighter of the Year.

Bill Larson joined the then Castlewood Fire Department in 1982 and became a paramedic in 1986. Larson played college football at CSU in Fort Collins and was a pro for seven seasons with several teams, including one year with the Broncos.

"Football and firefighting are a lot a like," says Larson, "the work is exciting, sometimes terrifying, and there can be a lot of pressure. What I have enjoyed is that the teamwork and the feeling of brotherhood is the same in both professions."

Larson was recognized for leading an effort to have South Metro personnel participate in an innovative set of tests used to predict heart attacks and strokes. Heart attacks are a leading killer of firefighters. Lt. Kinny Tasker, president of the association that presented the award to Larson, said "I believe this was an important test which may have possibly saved lives." The program, dubbed "BraveHeart," uses a combination of ultrasound, EKG, and blood tests to measure the "arterial age" of a person, by measuring the amount and type of plaque in a person's arteries.

Larson took the test as a member of the Broncos alumni, where he met Dr. Jeffrey Boone, a Denver doctor who specializes in preventative cardiology. He then worked with Dr. Boone to bring the program to South Metro.

230 personnel and family members were tested and approximately 15 percent were found to have higher than normal levels of arterial plaque. Those individuals were recommended to discuss the results and possible treatments with their personal physicians.

Tasker also praised Larson for his commitment to continuing education for South Metro's emergency medical personnel and for his teamwork. "He is always willing to help whenever and wherever he is needed," said Tasker.

The Firefighter of the Year award is presented each year by the South Metro chapter (Local 2164) of the International Association of Firefighters. The presentation was made at a holiday gathering Jan 8.

Larson is a resident of Windsor and is married with three children. His wife Linda works for the Weld County Department of Social Services. Their oldest son is a freshman at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and they have a daughter in high school and another son in the 8th grade.

The men and women of South Metro Fire Rescue provide emergency medical, fire suppression, and fire prevention services to the people living and working in 76 square miles of Arapahoe and Douglas counties. It includes the cities of Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village, Centennial and Lone Tree, as well as much of the Denver Tech Center, Inverness, Park Meadows the Centennial Airport and the communities of Castle Pines Village, Castle Pines North and Louviers.

For more information, visit www.southmetro.org.

[Report this as objectionable content.]

SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above story

Talk Back : submit comments to the story

*Note: you need to log-in to add a comment or rating.

Thank you! Your comment has been updated.

SAVE AND SHARE THIS STORY

digg	Google
del.icio.us	Yahoo!
reddit	Newsvine

What is this?

STORY RSS FEEDS

All stories

All stories in Centennial

All stories by Crawford Clark

WANT TO WRITE FOR YOURHUB.COM?

Want to see the stories you write and the photos you shoot featured in the YourHub.com Thursday print section available all over the Front Range and with home subscriptions of the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post? All you have to do is register, then post a story or column, start a blog or tell everyone what events are happening in town. We will print the best stories, columns, event listings, photos and blog entries in our print sections.

Loading Ad