An informal gathering of firefighters and families at the Olney Springs Fire Hall Friday evening was bittersweet as the memories of Fire Chief Terry DeVore and firefighter John Schwartz were honored.  
DeVore and Schwartz left behind eight children who were each presented with an Olney Springs firefighter’s badge mounted on a plaque in memory of their fathers. The children were also given boxes of items the fire department has been collecting for them since the fire. The gifts included caps, t-shirts and fire badges from various departments across the region.

DeVore and Schwartz were killed during the Ordway fire April 15 when the fire truck they were traveling in plunged off a burned bridge on Highway 96. With the insurance money the department received for the wrecked truck, a new fire truck was purchased and includes the following inscription on each side; “In memory of Fire Chief Terry DeVore, Firefighter John Schwartz, April 15, 2008,” a sorrowful reminder of what the department, community and families lost on that day.

As Friday evening drew to a close, the DeVore and Schwartz children spent some time just being kids. The new fire truck was started and everyone had a turn spraying the street, first with water then with foam turning the warm summer evening into a winter wonderland.

It’s been two months since that tragic day and as time begins to heal those wounds the families of Terry and John stay foremost in the minds of many in this small, tight-knit community.