The fire chief, Robert Czerwinski, says the department wanted to find a fitting way to honor Polidoro. This engine was one of the last major projects he spearheaded.  

“The officers came to us and said let’s name this truck in Mike’s honor for the work that he did towards the design, the implementation, evaluation, final approval, construction - he was into this truck 100% from inception to final delivery and training,” Chief Czerwinski said. “Michael Polidoro has been an inspiration to this fire department for the 28 years that he spent here.”

According to city documents, Brentwood Fire and Rescue’s strategic plan identified a future need for a fifth fire station in the southeastern part of the city. The strategic plan identified an ideal location for the next fire station, along Split Log Road between the Northumberland Subdivision and the intersection of Split Load and Ragsdale Roads.  

The purchased property is not directly located in the preferred area, however, it only lies about 375 feet east and is far enough away from existing residential properties to provide a buffer from fire station activities.

Four firefighters were responding to an emergency call around noon on March 9, 2018, when they collided with two other vehicles and a pedestrian near the intersection of Rhode Island Avenue and 12th Street NE. The driver of a Honda Accord, identified as Deangelo Green, died following the collision.  

The report, compiled by the D.C. Police Major Crash Investigations Unit, concludes that the primary cause of the collision was Green’s failure to yield the right of way to the emergency vehicle. The police report also found 32-year-old Green to be operating his vehicle while intoxicated.

 

The new ambulance has a price tag of $209,937, and related equipment will cost $111,715, according to the city. A Colorado Emergency Medical and Trauma Services grant of $120,050 will be applied to the purchase price of the ambulance and equipment. The city will also add a new Type 3 Wildland Fire Engine, which was also approved Wednesday. The city already has one of these large wildland fire trucks in its fleet, in addition to a smaller truck, which it deploys frequently in the spring and fall burn seasons and also on larger state or federal fire incidents.