As the owner of West 360 Digital, one of the top professional real estate photographers in Colorado, and enthusiast for the Colorado community, occasionally Brendan West is blessed with amazing opportunities to photograph meaningful properties and showcase them in all their glory. Brendan states that “I feel honored that I was allowed to photograph and create a virtual tour for The Fallen Firefighters Memorials,in Colorado Springs. We know that these heroes have given their lives to protect our communities and they deserve the best recognition possible and to be remembered eternally.” The International Association of FireFighters (IAFF) is a non-profit organizationthat prides itself on championing nearly all of the advances that have been made in fire and emergency services rescue in the 21st century. With headquarters in Washington D.C. and Ottawa Ontario, the IAFF established a firefighter memorial located in Colorado Springs called The Fallen Firefighter Memorial. Approximately 324,000 firefighters and paramedics and 3,500 affiliates are represented by the IAFF. Their website states that they protectnearly 85% of the United States and Canadian populations. They are also extremely active lobbying groups in Washington D.C. Founded in 1918 when 36 delegates gathered in Washington D.C. to form this group. The original purposeof the group was to publish a magazine and for the members to agree to live by certain ethical standards, set common goals, and always work with the care for the safety of their families in mind. Initially, they adopted 20 resolutions to benefit firefighters and the industry. They created a two-platoon system, which is a system for firefighters, and emergency services professionals to work so that one group is on duty while the other is off duty. Read more about the two-platoon system here. It relates to their schedules and ensures they are allotted a certain number of hours off of work per period. This system helps to protect the communities and the firefighters and paramedics from over-exhaustion. The original resolution also established pension laws, automatic sprinkler systems, building inspection rules, and other fire prevention norms that we currently take for granted but were not always in place.
The Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial is a memorial erected in Colorado Springs, CO to honor the fallen. The memorial has the names of fallen heroes etched into the Wall ofHonor Memorial to remember those who bravely served our communities and paidthe ultimate sacrifice. To remember our heroes, in 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, they held a virtual tribute which can be seen on YouTube below:
They have a live virtual event planned on September 18, 2021, to honor these heroes and for the families to receive their flags. Due to COVID-19 and the new Delta Variant, the September 18th event will be virtual Click here to read how you can watch and support the event. The event begins at 11 am MST. You can follow the IAFF on social media and Facebook by clicking here to show your support. The Colorado Springs memorial pictured below (and you can view a virtual tour below as well) is home to 250 fallen heroes who died in the line of duty or related to occupational illnesses that are far too common forfirefighters. Normally, they have a traditional annual event to memorializethese heroes. In 2019, bagpipes played Amazing Grace as General President Harold Schaitberger stated, “the words we say here will never begin to properlythank you for your sacrifice.” While many families lose their loved ones to the hazards of working in such a field, and that loss is never forgotten, they do gain a family in the IAFF, which does their best to support the families.
The beautiful photographs and the virtual tour you can see on this webpage were taken by Brendan West, owner of West 360 Digital. Brendan typically specializes in real estate photography but he jumped at the opportunity to photograph such a meaningful and beautiful tribute to those who dedicate their lives to protecting every one of us in the community. September 11th was a day that no one in the United States, or the world for that matter, will forget. It is fitting that aroundthe time of 911, Brendan was invited to commemorate the memory of our fallen heroes through his talented photography and virtual tour services. Brendan’s portfolio is impressive and he feels blessed to have had the opportunity to add this to it, along with some of the other amazing projects he has shot. See this recent project on Coors Field for another amazing project that Brendan led. If you work in real estate or have a project that needs a talented team ofphotographers and editors, contact West 360 Digital to discuss your needs and goals. While based in Colorado, and one of the top real estate photographers in Colorado, Brendan can work in any part of the United Statesfor larger projects. Industries he supports include residential real estate, commercial real estate, showrooms, hotels, medical/dental offices, car dealerships, property management companies, multi-family apartment homes, senior living centers, and restaurants and bars. Some of the products and services that West 360 Digital provides to clients include drone photography, virtual staging, 3D Matterport, Google Virtual Tours, HDR Photography, 3D Renderings, and Virtual Staging. They are a one-stop-shop for all things digital and real estate. West 360 Digital’s mission is to assist their clients in selling their properties faster, for what they are worth, to showcase their clients inspiring properties in the best light through gorgeous professional photography services because they care about the Colorado community and your livelihood!
