Into the Fire: Supporting Injured Firefighters in Laramie

It was supposed to be a routine call.

Late on a cold February night, four firefighters from the Laramie Fire Department arrived at a housefire in a rural area outside city limits. Smoke poured from the structure, but the source of the fire remained hidden. As they entered the building to investigate, they knew it would be challenging. What they didn’t know was that in the next few minutes, everything would change.

That night, three of the four career firefighters were injured when a massive stone chimney collapsed inside the home. One of them, firefighter Dylan Schilt, was trapped beneath the weight of it.

Now, months later, Schilt and his two fellow firefighters, Dominic Blake and Brent Brock, are still recovering from the physical and emotional toll. This August, Fire Department Coffee is proud to support their recovery through our monthly Fire Department Clubs. For every Fire Dept. Coffee Club purchase, $2 is donated. For every Fire Dept. Shirt Club purchase, $5 goes directly to help these three injured firefighters and their families. 

Your support makes a real difference.

What Happened on February 28, 2025

The Laramie Fire Department covers not only the city of Laramie, but also thousands of square miles of Albany County. On county calls like this one, standard protocol was to respond with a four-person crew. In such situations, the crew often works alongside volunteer firefighters.

On that February night, Schilt and Blake entered the smoke-filled home to search for the elusive source of the fire. Outside, Brock and a volunteer attempted to gain access from the roof. The crew eventually suspected the fire was burning behind a large, rock-veneered chimney.

Then it collapsed.

The chimney structure folded Schilt where he stood. Blake was injured in the same moment, sustaining serious damage to his leg. He would later learn he had torn nearly every ligament in his knee.

A mayday was called. Brock rushed inside, located Blake, and helped free him. With assistance, Blake managed to crawl to safety on his own. That decision allowed Brock to focus his energy and air supply on freeing Schilt, who remained conscious but had lost all feeling below the waist.

It took every ounce of strength, but Brock lifted and shifted the heavy debris, inch by inch, until he got Schilt out.

“That thing came down as one unit, not multiple rocks,” fellow Laramie firefighter Dylan Kramschuster said. “They cemented the rock to mesh, so it all came down as one big, heavy unit.”

Recovery and Resilience

Schilt was eventually airlifted to a hospital in Colorado, where he spent months in rehab. Doctors told him he might never walk again. He didn’t accept that.

“Every time I’ve talked to him, gone down and seen him, it’s a ‘I’ll be back to work in a year’ type of mentality,” Kramschuster said. “I don’t know if that’s reality, but in his mind, it is.”

This past June, Schilt walked out of Craig Hospital. His steps were slow and focused, but he walked under his own strength.

His rehab continues, requiring some of the most intensive treatments available. Meanwhile, his family temporarily relocated to Denver to be by his side, taking on the added burden of housing and travel while the bills continue to add up.

Blake and Brock are also still recovering. Blake has already undergone surgery and faces a long rehab ahead. Brock, who injured his back, knee, and ankle during the rescue, is awaiting his own procedures.

None of them have stopped moving forward.

All funds raised through the August Fire Department Coffee Clubs will be directed to support these three Laramie firefighters who were injured. These funds will help cover rehabilitation, out-of-pocket expenses, daily life adjustments, and travel as they recover.

“Dylan obviously needs the biggest sum of the donations, but Brent and Dominic are also going through it,” Johnathan Pisciotti said. “It’s kind of day-to-day stuff. They’re not able to do the things they normally would. If we can help take any burden off of them, we will.”

Design Inspired by Strength

This month’s limited-edition shirt features three buffalo, representing each of the injured firefighters. In Native American lore and Western symbolism, the buffalo is a sign of strength and resilience — an animal that doesn’t run from a storm, but charges into it, just like these firefighters.

Behind the buffalo, the mountains that surround Laramie rise in the distance. The design is both a tribute to the Wyoming landscape and the spirit of its fire service.

The Laramie Fire Department has already changed the way it responds to county fires. In the past, a single engine with four firefighters would be dispatched. Now, they send an engine, an ambulance staffed with at least one additional firefighter, and a shift commander.

It’s a change rooted in experience — and in the drive to make sure no firefighter ever faces a similar situation without backup.

These three firefighters didn’t hesitate to run toward danger. They didn’t know how it would end. But they showed up, they went in, and they stayed with each other until everyone was out.

Now, it’s our turn.

By joining the Fire Department Coffee Club or the Fire Department Shirt Club this month, you’re helping them heal. You’re showing them they’re not in this alone.