Denver Fire lieutenant suspended, demoted after woman declared dead while she was still alive
A lieutenant with the Denver Fire Department has been suspended and demoted after a woman was declared dead even though she was still alive. The incident happened in June.
According to the Denver Fire Department's disciplinary report, firefighters were called to check on a woman. A police officer who had seen the woman described how she looked to Denver Fire Lt. Patrick Lopez.
Without going inside where the woman was located, Lopez dialed the on-call doctor at Denver Health and handed the phone to fellow firefighter Marshall Henry, who also did not see the woman.
Henry asked the doctor to declare the woman dead.
The same police officer returned inside and found that the woman was alive.
Both Lopez and Henry were suspended without pay. Lopez lost his rank as lieutenant.
