Established in August of 2008, 5280Fire.com is the
collaborative effort of several Metro Denver Fire Buffs. Although not common in this part of the
country, “Buffing” has deep historical roots in American Firefighting. For centuries groups of dedicated firefighting
enthusiasts have been responding to incidents large and small. The term “Buff” was dubbed upon the
very first groups by firefighters themselves. The men would stand across the street from involved
buildings huddled under large Buffalo robes to keep warm in the harsh
winter. “Buff” became the short
nickname that has since followed the hobby since the days of horses and
wagons.
Fire Buffs come from all demographics and professions, two
of the most high profile Buffs have historically been Benjamin Franklin and NY
Mayor LaGuardia. With the deepest
roots on the east coast, many Buff groups have established their own official
organizations. meeting halls,
conferences, large traveling groups and even firefighter rehab vehicles are a
common sight.
True Buffs understand and respect the culture of the fire
service. Never too close and never
far from the action, they unobtrusively stand with cameras in hand. Typically
listening to scanners and wearing big city fire shirts they intently watch the
operation. Historically the Buff /
Firefighter relationship has always been a positive one; the Buffs happy to be
in the smoke and Firefighters eager to see photos of themselves working.
Technology has changed traditional Buffing, intently
listening to scanners 24/7 isn’t a requirement anymore (although we all still
do it). Local and national paging,
text & email notification services provide modern Buffs with up to the
minute information. Web based
scanners from all over the country can be monitored by anyone, even by iPhone
while away from home.
5280Fire is what I like to call a modern tradition. Taking the ideas that built our passion
for Buffing and combining them with technology has built what you see
today. 5280Fire strives to be the
most accurate firefighting news source in Colorado. We combine no nonsense, factual information with
professional photography to precisely tell the whole story. Our goal is to arrive as quickly as
possible to capture the most challenging moments of the incidents. First due photographs and video footage
are not a rarity and are what we endeavor to achieve.
5280Fire’s Buffs are not fire paparazzi, stringers or fire
truck chasers. Never do we wish
for property to burn, and hate loss as much as the firefighters we
document. Our personal mission is
to capture their moments of triumph that can seldom be seen in the mainstream
media. 5280Fire’s contributors are
100% volunteer. Just like our
forefathers we’re found in the dark early morning hours, bearing the harsh
winters to continue this great tradition.
Eric Hurst
Webmaster / Photographer
