Wife of late fire chief working to dedicate part of I-25 to first responders
DENVER (KDVR) — A portion of Interstate 25 may soon be dedicated to first responders in honor of a fire chief who died from a job-related cancer.
In December 2019, Lori Jackson lost her husband Troy, and South Metro Fire Rescue lost a beloved chief.
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“He had been doing his job for about 30 years. He came down with a job-related cancer called cystic adenoid carcinoma,” Jackson said. “He would do his job all over again, even when he was battling it because he knew it was his calling to do.”
During the time he battled cancer, Jackson said their fire family was with them every step of the way and continued to support them after his passing.
“The way that these first responders live their lives is they’re always pouring into other people, and as a family, you always know you’ve got others to count on,” Jackson said.
From helping drive the Jacksons to different events including graduations, to making sure Troy made his chemo and radiation appointments, they were there.
“The sense of love, support, understanding that the entire community puts out is very, very rare,” Jackson said.
It was in 2020 when Jackson first considered the idea of a highway dedication
“You see wonderful things like the dedication to Kendrick [Castillo], you see the dedication to Coach Sanders from Columbine. I thought that’s what I want to do,” she said.
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Then, years later, she finally decided she was ready to tackle it.
“I reached out to the administration and the executive team at South Metro, and they immediately helped and ran with it,” Jackson said.
Mike Dell’Orfano, the chief of government affairs, reached out to lobbyists who took it to the legislature. Now, the next step is acquiring the funds.
“It’s not just slapping some stickers on a sign and there it is. You’ve got to close down the highway and divert traffic while the big sign is going up after it’s made,” Jackson said.
In fact, the 14 by seven-foot sign will cost about $28,000. The fundraising process is already underway. Jackson has a GoFundMe currently set up, and a Facebook page where she will be posting updates about the sign.
She said if she surpasses that goal, she will donate what’s left to the Colorado Professional Firefighter Foundation and the South Metro Professional Firefighter Foundation.
When everything is said and done, Jackson said she hopes first responders can see it as a reminder of her gratitude and Troy’s legacy.
“Whether someone is traveling through our state, or it’s one of the crews from his department of South Metro, I wanted something that just said thank you for them,” Jackson said.
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