Draper fire chief reflects on losing one of his own after deadly firefighter tragedy

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Draper Fire Chief Clint Smith recalls losing Battalion Chief Matt Burchett in 2018.
• The Wildland Firefighter Foundation supports victims' families, emphasizing the risks firefighters face.

DRAPER — The sudden and tragic deaths of three firefighters along the Utah-Colorado border over the weekend are hitting especially close to home for the Draper Fire Department.

For Fire Chief Clint Smith, the tragedy brings back painful memories of a loss his own department endured: the death of a fellow firefighter in the line of duty.

At the Draper fire station, tributes to Battalion Chief Matt Burchett remain a constant reminder. Photos and plaques honor his life, but those who knew him say it's the relationships and memories that matter most.

With every call, firefighters understand the risks.

Still, the loss of a firefighter is something departments never expect. The loss of three at once is even harder to comprehend.

"It's almost a gut punch," Smith said.

He knows that feeling all too well.

On Aug. 13, 2018, Smith learned that Burchett had been killed while battling a wildfire in Northern California.

"When I got those words that we had lost Matt, you just kind of go numb," Smith said. "You think to yourself, 'That can't be what I just heard. That can't be real.'"

Even without knowing the three firefighters killed this weekend, Smith said the grief reaches far beyond a single department.

"You don't have to know them personally to really feel that loss," he said.

The impact is being felt nationwide.

"The whole wildland community is devastated," said Burk Minor, executive director of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. "When you get a multi-fatality, it's something else. These people are in a brotherhood. They fight fire together. They trained somewhere together. They know each other through off-season training."

The foundation is already working to support the victims' families, helping coordinate travel, lodging, and other needs during an incredibly difficult time.

For those who serve, the tragedy is a stark reminder of the risks they face every day and the sacrifices made in the line of duty.

At the Draper Fire Department, that sacrifice is never forgotten.

"We think about Matt every day," Smith said. "We recognize what he did for us, what he did for the people in California."

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

Related topics

Utah wildfiresUtahPolice & CourtsSalt Lake County

Dan Rascon

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