Raber, 69, the oldest member of the Hebron department, died Saturday, after suffering a heart attack as he stepped from the engine to fight a blaze near Hebron. Fellow firefighters tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead after being taken to the Richardton Health Center.
Friends and associates knew him as one of the most dedicated firefighters in the history of the Hebron department.
``Once it gets in your blood to the extent that George had it, it stays in your blood forever,'' said Darrell Graf, a firefighter and friend.
Raber had been a volunteer firefighter in Hebron for 41 years. Colleagues said he held every position in the department and missed only one firefighter meeting during his time there.
``He didn't sit in the fire department and man the radio,'' said volunteer firefighter Kevin Staiger. ``When there was a fire he was on that truck ready to go, day or night.''
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