Aurora Fire Rescue had the distinct honor of participating in a ceremony to dedicate a portion of 16th Avenue in front of Station 1 to Ruben Sims, Jr., the first African-American firefighter in our department. Sims served as a firefighter and engineer for Aurora Fire from 1977 until his retirement in 1997. He passed away from cancer on Sept. 11, 2006, at the age of 55. The honorary street sign was championed by Aurora Firefighters Local 1290 and Aurora Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Gardner. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman unveiled the honorary street sign and led the historic event which as attended by Sims’ family, AFR members and current and retired members of the Colorado Black Firefighters Association. Jamey Sims accepted the honor on behalf of his father.