Five months ago, volunteer firefighter Darcy Stallings was responding to a reported fire when he crashed into the back of a semi-truck, dying at the scene. After his death, it was revealed that the blaze he was responding to was a controlled burn, not an emergency. 

The family of 34-year-old Stallings said he would not have died on Oct. 21 if the controlled burn was reported to the local fire department ahead of time.

“If she would have just taken a few seconds to call in, our son would still be here today to enjoy his family, his wife, his 5-year-old son Owen and his 1-year-old daughter Keiley,” said Susan Stallings, mother of the fallen firefighter, referring to the person who made the controlled burn.

She added: “It saddens me to think of another person risking their life responding to another controlled burn that will not be called in.”

Now, Colorado lawmakers are trying to prevent this kind of situation from happening again through House Bill 1132. If enacted, the bill would require all controlled burns on private property to be reported to local fire departments and allow fire departments to reschedule or supervise the burns.

The bill is called “Darcy’s Last Call Act” in honor of Stallings, who was a nine-year veteran of the Yuma Volunteer Fire Department.

“As Darcy’s older sister, I grew up looking after him and protecting him,” said Libbie Schuetz, Stallings’ sister. “That night, I couldn’t protect Darcy. But I hope this bill can protect future service men and women from risking their lives responding to controlled burns.”

The bill would also provide $185,000 in annual funding for a new mobile driver simulator unit to train firefighters throughout the state on how to safely drive while responding to emergency calls. Stallings was driving his personal pickup truck – which is common for volunteer firefighters – during the fatal collision.

The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control currently has one mobile driver simulator unit. Last year, 25 departments used the unit to train more than 600 firefighters, said Mike Morgan, director of the division. This year, Morgan estimates they will only be able to respond to 45% of the training requests because of weather limitations and the time and staffing needed to transport the unit and lead the training course.

“There’s a great need,” Morgan said. “What we see when we look at reducing the impacts of fires, regardless of what the cause is, is the need to train our firefighters.”

The bill is supported by the Yuma Volunteer Fire Department, Colorado State Fire Chiefs Association, Colorado State Firefighters Association, Colorado Firefighter Training Officers Association and Colorado Professional Fire Fighters, among other organizations.

The House Energy and Environment Committee unanimously approved the bill Thursday. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron, who said his family has known Stallings’ family for years.

“This is one step to make sure that a family never has this experience again,” Holtorf said.