KD0SQA, KD0SQA, KD0SQA.
Gary Freeman, KD0SQA, became a silent key on March 4th, 2025. He was 79. Gary had been a member of ARESDEC since 2012. Gary was a dedicated public servant and a passionate advocate for emergency management and preparedness. Gary began his career as a Commerce City Police Officer, rising to Lieutenant before retiring.
Desiring to return to public service, in 2007 Gary hired on with the City and County of Denver as the Senior Emergency Manager for the Department of Human Services (DHS) and offered invaluable support to numerous city agencies and organizations, including the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Denver Department of Public Health, the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and the Rocky Mountain Medical Reserve Corp.
Gary also served as the Denver Human Services Terrorism Liaison Officer (TLO) and was a proud member of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service. Additionally, Gary was an instructor for Denver’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program and developed full-scale CERT exercises for the cities of Denver and Colorado Springs. Gary loved teaching people how to help themselves and their neighbors during emergencies.
Gary was instrumental in creating the Mass Care Department Operations Center for Denver Human Services, which played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic. His work helped to shape the city’s response to these unprecedented challenges. Gary was awarded the “Mayoral Proclamation for service” award and December 18th is officially “Gary Freeman Day” for the City and County of Denver.
Gary, thank you for your service. You will be missed. KD0SQA, end of watch.
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