Colorado Springs is mourning the loss of retired fire Capt. Patrick Rogacki, who died Aug. 1 of an aggressive form of cancer resulting from his work at ground zero after the 9/11 attacks, according to a news release from the department Friday.

The release said firefighters who are diagnosed and die of job-related cancer are considered line of duty deaths, including after retirement.

Rogacki joined the Fire Department in 1979 and retired in 2014 during which he was part of the department's Wildland Program and served as medical lieutenant. The release also said he spent 15 years in the High Angle Rescue Program and helped create the Fire Department's manual on those operations.

“[Rogacki] was a passionate and dedicated firefighter who always went above and beyond, whether on a single ala

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