On the same day a St. Paul firefighter’s name was added to the national Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, two fellow Minnesota firefighters were on a 150-mile, nine-day trek to raise awareness and funds for firefighter well-being.

St. Paul Fire Capt. Kyle Bode was initially supposed to attend the ceremony in Colorado as his friend Larry Goodman was memorialized. Goodman was a longtime St. Paul firefighter who retired as a captain in October 2022 and died from brain cancer in January 2024 at age 57.

But when the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative’s executive director asked Bode if he’d take part in the walk for the nonprofit, he couldn’t say no.

“I thought it would be a good way to honor Larry and I think it’s important to try to take care of our firefighters that we have right now,” Bode said

See Full Page