Colorado firefighters suspended for having living woman declared dead

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- Two Denver firefighters are being suspended for having a woman declared dead when she was actually still alive.

According to our news partners in Denver, an order of disciplinary action from the Denver Department of Public Safety says on June 24, two firefighters went to help Denver Police officers with a welfare check of a woman. One of the officers went inside to check on the woman, came out and said the woman had lividity (bluish-purple discoloration of the skin seen on a deceased person) and fluid leaking from her body, and that she smelled like she was decomposing.

Lieutenant Patrick Lopez said the officer who went inside told firefighters they didn't need to go inside because the woman was "obviously dead." Lopez told his crew to stay outside. Lopez then told another firefighter, Marshall Henry, to all Denver Health and ask for a field pronouncement of death from an emergency room doctor, according to the order, even though neither of them had assessed the woman themselves. 

The order said Henry described the woman's condition to the doctor as being "in an advanced state of death." It also stated that Henry answered the doctor's questions as if he had personally assessed the woman. The doctor then provided a pronouncement and time of death. 

The fire department crew then left the scene and a police officer went back inside the home to look for weapons. While he was inside the home, he noticed the woman was moving and called Denver Fire and EMS to return to the scene and take the woman to the hospital.

According to the order, the police officer denied telling the fire crew to initially not go inside the home. The investigation into the incident then reportedly revealed that it was more likely than not that Lopez had lied to his supervisors in order to shift blame to the officer.

Lopez was demoted from lieutenant to firefighter and given a 14-shift (336-hour) suspension without pay.

Henry was given a 10-shift (240-hour) suspension without pay.