Loveland, CO, Firefighters Honored for Reviving Colleague During Stair Climb

Loveland Fire Rescue Lt. Shelby Vrem went into cardiac arrest during a 9/11 memorial stair climb and was revived by his colleagues.

By Jocelyn Rowley

Source Loveland Reporter-Herald, Colo.

Dec. 7, 2025

4 min read

The four firefighters who brought Loveland Fire Rescue Lt. Shelby Vrem back to life were honored with a guardian award.

Loveland Fire Rescue Authority Lieutenant Shelby Vrem doesn’t remember collapsing during last year’s 9/11 memorial stair climb, or the frantic six minutes when he was in cardiac arrest and four members of his Station 6 crew fought to revive him. But he knows exactly what their actions meant that fateful day.

“Hearing this story, it makes me proud of all the training we’ve done together,” Vrem said. “I know I scared the ever-living hell out of them … but all I can tell them is thank you for giving me another day on this side of the dirt.”

Those thanks were directed at Lt. Alex Klinger, engineer Doug Vinzant, firefighter Trey Albrecht and firefighter Reid Nichols — the four whose fast, coordinated response kept Vrem from becoming just another name read at a memorial.

On Thursday, LFRA gathered to honor them with a Guardian Award, a distinction Chief Tim Sendelbach said recognizes not only their technical skill but also the family-like bond that defines the department.

“Recognition of an emergency, seamless teamwork and immediate delivery of high-quality CPR exemplify the very best of who we are as firefighters, guardians of one another, as well as our community,” Sendelbach said. “Because of their actions, their brother in service is alive today. Their efforts are a powerful reminder that in our profession, the bond of family extends beyond words and is proven through action.”

While Vrem doesn’t remember much about the events from September, the four climbing stairs with him that day said it is something they will never forget. In a video played during Thursday’s ceremony, each described moments when a workout turned into a life-and-death emergency.

They remembered the shock of seeing their lieutenant unconscious, the sound of gasping breaths and the instinctive calm that settled over the group as they moved into roles they had practiced countless times.

“It was the training,” Vinzant said. “It never felt too overwhelming. Everybody was just doing what they’d do normally at any scene.”

The four Station 6 firefighters removed Vrem’s air pack, checked his airway and began chest compressions as another sprinted for the AED. They were relieved when the monitor indicated Vrem had a shockable rhythm, and they cleared the stairwell just long enough to deliver it.

Less than six minutes after collapsing, Vrem opened his eyes.

“It’s kind of a miracle for a person to come back after one shock and basically have their eyes open, looking around at all of us,” Klinger recalled on the video. “… Obviously, that was a huge sign of relief for all of us.”

Seconds later, Vrem was handed over to the care of a crew from Thompson Valley Emergency Services, then hoisted into an ambulance and rushed to the hospital, where he would spend the next two days. After 60 days of rest and recovery, the lieutenant returned to duty and was reunited with his Station 6 crewmates.

“There were lots of smiles,” Vinzant said after the ceremony. “He’s just such a great person and such a light in all of our lives.”

Sendelbach told the crowd the incident marked a “pivotal moment” for the department, one that underscored the stakes of firefighter wellness and the importance of looking out for one another long before an emergency unfolds.

“This could have gone one of two ways,” he said. “It went in our favor, but if it goes in the other direction, we are yet another statistic in the American fire service. We quickly become a family that each and every year memorializes the loss of a family member.”

To avoid that happening in the future, the chief said LFRA will continue investing in annual physicals, medical screenings and its growing health and wellness clinic, in an effort to make sure Thursday’s Guardian Award presentation will be LFRA’s first and last.

“And the only way we’ll do that is to make sure that we walk away with critical lessons to be learned, lessons that each and every one of us act upon,” Sendelbach said. “… In this profession, none of us can predict, none of us can forecast. But one thing we know is we need to be prepared.”

After the ceremony, both Vrem and the four who saved him said the incident served a stark reminder of how fragile life can be and the need to slow down and appreciate moments that often get overlooked.

“My eyes have been opened up to more of the world,” Vrem said. “Life is way too short — don’t trip over the small stuff. I tell my crews all the time to enjoy the moment, and now I tell my friends and family the same thing.”