The firefighters, staff, and board of directors of the East Grand Fire Protection District No. 4 would like to express our deep appreciation to Brene Belew-LaDue. We would like to thank her for her many years of service to the community, as well as looking out for the health and well-being of our volunteer firefighters. We know that we are just one of the agencies in Grand County that will miss her!

We will miss Brene’s expertise, courage under fire, conviction, personal touch and her faithful dedication to providing an excellent level of service to all. We have wonderful memories of Brene and her staff providing our volunteers with immunizations. We even remember when one of our volunteers passed out during the administration of a shot. She never missed a beat! Throughout her career she was constantly adapting to the ever-changing needs of our community and handling each crisis with compassion and professionalism.

Ms. Belew-Ladue’s dedication to service throughout her entire professional career prepared her for this pandemic in one way or another. Whether it was the 2007 Pandemic Flu Response Document or the 2016 “Flea Bite-Us” tabletop exercise, she was always preparing. What Brene provided to all of the citizens of Grand County was the desire to improve and protect our most valuable asset: our health.

We recognize that her premature departure is not how any of us imagined how this chapter would end. We respect her decision wholly, wish her the absolute best in her future endeavors and hope that she knows that she is always welcome in the arms of EGFPD No. 4. Her departure from Grand County Public Health will not only be a loss to that department, but to every resident in the county that she fought so hard to protect.

— Friends and Family of East Grand firefighters