Members of the Wheat Ridge Fire Department are throwing fundraisers at the end of the month for Chief James Payne, who was seriously injured when he fell from a ladder at his home.
Payne was placed in a medically induced coma at St. Anthony Central Hospital after the April 5 accident, which happened while he was trimming a tree.
He remains in serious but stable condition, said firefighter Dan Pollet.
“This is for his family to help with the medical expenses. It did occur off duty at his residence. It will be a very long road to recovery. He had very serious injuries, and we are pulling for him,” Pollet said.
The events begin May 31, with pancake breakfast at the fire department’s station 1, at 3880 Upham St. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and is complementary, but donations will be accepted.
A fundraiser at the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center, 4005 Kipling St., that same day from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., will cost $20 a person. Area restaurants have donated food for the event, and there will be live music and a silent auction.
