Falmouth Fire Chief Honored At Colorado's Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial

FALMOUTH, MA — The International Association of Fire Fighters held a ceremony at the Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial in Colorado Springs over the weekend, and members of the Falmouth Fire Department joined them to honor one of their own.

Deputy Scott Thrasher, Captain Scott Starbard, Lt. Sean Ellis, firefighter Michael Mueller, and retired firefighter Russell Ferreira were present, escorting and supporting Ginny Brodeur and her family at the event, the department said. Brodeur is the wife of the late Paul Brodeur, the former Falmouth Fire Chief and IAFF member who was honored at the event.

According to the department, the ceremony recognized members whose death was considered "line-of-duty death." Brodeur died of lung cancer in 2017.

The event in Colorado Springs takes place annually, but this year was particularly special following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, 469 firefighters were honored.

For the Falmouth Fire Department members present, they said they felt an immense sense of pride and tradition in being there to support the Brodeur family.

"We proudly remember Chief Brodeur for his dedicated work for this department and community throughout his career," they said, in a statement.

Brodeur died at 71 in 2017. He served the Falmouth Fire Department beginning in 1976, three years after he was discharged from the Navy, according to an obituary.

Brodeur was named Fire Chief in 1996, and served in the role until 2010. During his time, he's credited with adding the rescue element to the department.

He was a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts and the Barnstable County Fire Chiefs Association.

In a show of how large a figure Brodeur was in the community, Falmouth Community TV televised his funeral procession in 2017.