Pierce Jacoway’s heart is with firefighting and family. Married to Jen for 17 years, the couple have two boys, Cooper (13) and Griffin (9) and Lucy, a yellow lab. Living in the Knightsbridge neighborhood, the Jacoways love sports, with the boys heavily involved in baseball and football. They can also be found camping, skiing, fishing or just enjoying the outdoors together.

Professionally, Pierce has the career he always wanted. Growing up in Centennial, he often visited the nearest fire station to check out the trucks and gear. He graduated from Cherry Creek High School and then CU Boulder with a communications degree; then Pierce got to work, making his boyhood dream a reality.

Pierce began his career as a volunteer firefighter with the Glendale Fire Department for a few years; then his next stop was with Larkspur Fire Protection District (LFPD), also as a volunteer and then full-time employee. In 2012, Pierce joined the Cunningham Fire Protection District, while still volunteering with LFPD.

In 2018, Cunningham Fire Protection District merged with South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) and Pierce has been with SMFR since the merger. He is currently a lieutenant and safety officer at Station 44 in Parker. Working two days on, four days off, Pierce is one of two safety officers on duty at a time. They cover the entire 300-square miles of SMFR which includes Douglas, Jefferson and Arapahoe Counties.

A typical day starts coordinating with shift command staff. Pierce often leads training exercises at one of the many SMFR training facilities. Typical training includes simulated structure fires, hazardous materials incidents and professional development opportunities. “We want to make sure our crews are ready to respond to any call they are dispatched on,” Pierce explained.

When there is a larger-scale incident, like structure or wildland fires, active threats, hazardous material or dive calls (underwater incidents), aircraft emergencies and motor vehicle accidents, Pierce and his team are dispatched and if necessary, are required to extract people and get them to safety. Working directly with battalion chiefs in these intense situations, Pierce’s express purpose is to resolve the incident as quickly as possible and to ensure the SMFR team is safe.

SMFR has a working relationship with Centennial Airport; together they have developed a specialized training center for aircraft emergencies that provides training practice for potential aircraft incidents. Pierce is the team coordinator for Airport Rescue Fire Fighting and heavily involved in the program.

Pierce’s coworkers are a second family to him. In 2024, he was awarded the SMFR Distinguished Service Award for extending support to others outside of SMFR. A Huntington Beach, California lifeguard, who was also a part of her local fire department, became paralyzed on the job and needed to be transferred to Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado. Pierce and Station 44 went above and beyond to ensure the patient, her family and the captain of her fire district had all their needs met for the transfer and duration of her stay.

A statement from SMFR, “Pierce exemplified his dedication to serving at the highest level throughout this situation and exemplifies what service to others means. He chose to take on this responsibility and did so with compassion and empathy.”

Pierce’s dedication to his profession has been publicly acknowledged on two other occasions: he received Fire Fighter of the Year from LFPD in 2011 and the same honor from SMFR in 2019. “Each award came as a surprise,” concluded Pierce. “I love my job, and I go to work every day excited for what the next 48 hours are going to bring. I feel grateful every day that I get to do a job that I always wanted to do.”

 

By Celeste McNeil; photos courtesy of Pierce Jacoway and South Metro Fire Rescue