Fifty years ago, Fire Chief Robert Schneider bought a tiny home in the foothills of Jefferson County solely because it was next door to the Inter-Canyon Volunteer Fire Station, making it easier for him to quickly help people in peril.
Tuesday, a decade after Schneider’s death, his decision about where to live may have helped volunteer firefighters save his wife’s life when flames engulfed the home.
Firefighters, using tanker trucks from the nearby station, sprayed water on the house on South Turkey Creek Road, near Tiny Town. They entered to find Mariam Schneider, 73, who was searching for her dog.
Her son, Kenny Schneider, said firefighters likely saved her life by getting her out of the smoke-filled home. “I guess this is a payback” for his father’s years of service, he said.
Kenny and his twin brother, Keith, are full-time firefighters with West Metro Fire Rescue. They both rushed to their childhood home when they got the call Tuesday.
Keith Schneider unsuccessfully attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on his mother’s Welsh corgi.
They searched through ashes for medals and badges documenting their father’s 36 years of firefighting service but couldn’t find them.
