Summit County firefighters remember their fallen colleague, Ken Jones, as family. “He was a colleague. He was a family member,” said Steve Lipsher, a spokesperson for Summit Fire and EMS. “He and his family are part of our bigger family, and so I think everybody here is shattered.” Jones, 46, died early Saturday morning when he fell from the roof of a burning condominium. His death marks the first line-of-duty death for the department, according to Summit Fire and EMS. “This is the biggest nightmare that any fire department across the country can face. There’s going to be some dark days ahead of us,” said Travis Davis, the department’s deputy chief.

Jones’ colleagues say he was a father to two — a son, Parker, and a daughter, Kaylee — and a husband to Carrie. They say he was a light in the department during his 20 years of service. “There isn’t anybody in our organization — and it doesn’t matter what rank —that hasn’t learned something from Ken,” Davis said. A memorial fund has been established in Jones’ name. Donations can be made at the Summit Foundation. Summit Fire and EMS will accept flowers, cards and other expressions of sympathy at their headquarters in Frisco, 0035 County Shops Rd. Denver-area residents can offer donations at West Metro Fire Protection District’s Station 10, 3535 South Kipling St.