Colorado Springs is mourning the loss of retired fire Capt. Patrick Rogacki, who died Aug. 1 of an aggressive form of cancer he developed from working at ground zero in New York after the 9/11 terrorist 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. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Rogacki was the first local line of duty death connected to 9/11. 

Rogacki joined the Fire Department in 1979 and retired in 2014. 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 alarm or in broader roles with the CSFD Honor Guard and Colorado Task Force 1,” Fire Chief Randy Royal said in the release. “We are saddened that his service at Ground Zero led to his passing, but we are proud of the positive impacts he made locally and nationally.”

The retired captain led the department’s Honor Guard for many years, according to the release. Rogacki also served at the International Association of Fire Fighters Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Colorado Springs. 

As a search group manager with Colorado Task Force 1, Rogacki traveled to disasters across the country including ground zero after the 9/11 attacks and the Space Shuttle Columbia crash in 2003.

More than 400,000 people were exposed to toxic dust on 9/11 and 44,000 first responders and survivors have World Trade Center Health-certified cancers, according to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum’s website. Over 350 chemical agents were identified in the dust and as of 2024, 140,000 people were enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program. 

Rogacki’s memorial service will be private, according to the release. CSFD is inviting the community to line the streets during his procession and details will be shared at a later date.