I met Joe Grein just once. His fellow firefighters held a fundraising event for the Grein family at LoDo's in Westminster about a year ago, and my husband and I stopped in to show our support. We had heard that Joe was fighting non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, that he was only in his 20s, and had a wife and young son to support. At that time, Joe was still in paramedic school, and volunteered at the Federal Heights fire station. His medical costs were high, and he had exhausted his insurance benefits.

Joe was surrounded by people that evening, most of them firefighters, all of them laughing and joking. Joe had lost his hair by then, and some of the other firefighters decided to shave their heads in his honor. Don Ogborn, a fellow Federal Heights firefighter, led the charge by auctioning his hair and donating over $1500 to the Grein family that night. Other Federal Heights firefighters then followed suit.

My husband and I donated some cash, and ate a meal at LoDo's that evening, part of which was also donated to the Greins. We hoped that our small contribution would make a difference. As time passed, we heard tidbits about Joe's health - a joyous remission, and then the news that thecancer had returned with a vengeance. When we learned of his passing last Monday night, we were stunned.

There was no question that my husband and I would attend Joe's funeral. As a City employee, my husband was charged with handling the PA equipment at the interment. He also agreed to bring the fire bell from the station to the cemetery to be used in the "last call" ceremony. As Federal Heights citizens, we both felt it was important to show our respect to a man who had sacrificed so much in his short life.

A funeral for a fallen firefighter is a very somber event. The ceremony, protocol, and ritual have powerful significance, not only to the deceased's comrades, but to the public and the family as well. Engine 41 was swagged in black, a mourning tradition from Victorian times, and it carried Joe's coffin with quiet dignity. The truck stopped in front of Station 40 briefly so that on-duty firefighters could pay their respects, and then a long parade of Federal Heights fire apparatus and police squad cars passed Federal Heights City Hall. The students of Cornerstone Christian Academy lined West 90th Avenue, and as the funeral cortege passed, they released red balloons into the air in Joe's honor. Some children held American flags, and two children held a sign between them that read,"CCA loves the Grein family."

At Elmwood Cemetery in Brighton, my husband and I worked to set up the PA equipment for the interment while the mourners headed to Zion Lutheran Church for the funeral service. At around noon, the long procession stopped traffic on Highway 85 for more than ten minutes as it made its way from the church to the cemetery. Fire Chief Andy Marsh led the way in the Federal Heights command vehicle, and stopped between ladder trucks from Fort Lupton and North Washington Fire Districts.

As the mourners made their way across the cemetery, firefighters from all over the Denver metropolitan area began arriving. Each uniformed man and woman took their place in a long corridor of mourners that stretched for about a hundred yards across the grounds. As Joe's casket was slowly lowered from Engine 41, the mournful refrain of bagpipes and drums could be heard. The Color Guard and members of The Emerald Society preceded Joe's casket through the long formation of uniformed firefighters to the tent-covered vault.

Several beautiful eulogies were given, and many tears shed. The Grein family was presented with an American flag that had flown over Denver's capitol building on Monday, and Joe's two-year-old son, Jacob, was presented with his father's firefighter's hat. At one point, the quiet was shattered by a low-flying paramedic helicopter, which circled the cemetery and dipped its nose toward the casket before flying away.

Toward the end of the ceremony, Federal Heights Fire Chief Andy Marsh called dispatch through the handheld radio. He requested that dispatch locate firefighter Joe Grein. Dispatch verbally attempted to reach Joe Grein twice. Dispatch then initiated emergency tones, and after a few seconds of silence, dispatch stated, "Firefighter Joe Grein has answered his last call. May he rest in peace."

After Joe's last call, Chief Marsh explained that a station's fire bell has traditionally been rung to signify the end of a firefighter's shift. Most fire bells were rung nine times - a series of three rings, three times. However, the tradition in Federal Heights is a series of seven continuous rings. Captain Steve Iacino concluded the day's ceremonies by ringing the station's bell seven times, which was answered by an echoing bell across the cemetery grounds.

After the interment ceremony, each member of the Federal Heights Fire Department removed their white gloves, and laid them on top of Joe's casket before it was lowered into its vault and placed in the ground. Many people remained until Joe's casket was no longer visible.

Federal Heights Volunteer Firefighter Joseph Eugene Grein is survived by his wife, Susan, and their two-year-old son, Jacob.