After more than 40 years in the fire service, David Ramos took his final steps as fire chief of North Metro Fire Rescue District on July 22 as part of a special retirement ceremony held at North Metro Fire Station 61 in Broomfield. During his time as chief, Ramos led North Metro Fire to better financial stability while improving emergency response, strengthening regional partnerships and enhancing firefighter safety.
A local to the area, Ramos joined North Metro Fire in 1984, following the footsteps of his older brother, Mike Ramos, who worked for a neighboring fire department. Ramos worked his way up the ranks from firefighter to lieutenant and on to battalion chief, spending more than 25 years on the line serving the community. In 2009, he was promoted to deputy chief and served in administration before being selected by the board in 2014 to fill North Metro Fire’s highest ranking role—fire chief.
“As a board member, I am in awe with how well Chief Ramos balanced the needs of every group he served, whether it was the board, employees, governmental partners or the community at large,” said Richard Miller, treasurer and former president of North Metro Fire’s board of directors. “He was an attentive listener and found ways to bring people together. Above all, he was a leader who earned respect and exemplified integrity, compassion, honesty and transparency.”
During Ramos’ tenure as fire chief, North Metro Fire experienced significant growth in population and in emergency call volume. Working alongside community members, the district’s board of directors, and employees, he developed a strategic plan to support the needs of the growing district and worked to secure essential funding through two voter-approved tax measures.
“During the 2014 mill levy election process, we learned a lot about our taxpayers’ expectations for financial information,” said Chief Financial Officer Lisa Willis. “Chief Ramos used this opportunity to not only enhance financial transparency but to ensure our financial decisions reflected the desires and needs of the community. He has always served with the community’s needs as his compass.”
Ramos played a vital role in modernizing and expanding several aging fire stations and investing in equipment and emergency vehicles to provide better care and service to the community and protect its firefighters. He also was instrumental in collaborating with other north area leaders to develop an integrated 911 dispatching hub to reduce emergency response times across the north area region. During his role as fire chief, he also led the district to its first accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, recognizing the organization’s commitment to continuous improvement.
Ramos was known for fostering collaborations with other fire departments, law enforcement agencies and city partners to improve emergency response and services to the community. He served as a leader on numerous regional committees, including the Colorado Firefighter Heart and Cancer Benefits Trust, North Area Chiefs, Denver Metro Chiefs, Adams Jeffco HazMat Authority, ADCOM Board and the E911 Authorities.
“It’s been an honor to have someone like Chief Ramos as a mentor and friend,” said incoming North Metro Fire Chief Mark Daugherty. “He built an incredible culture here that prioritizes professionalism, innovation, teamwork and service over self. Most importantly, he was a leader who truly cared about those he worked with and those he served, and we are all better for the example he set for us to follow.”