After a bill was signed in Colorado's 2017 legislative session, Sept. 27 is now officially "First Responder Appreciation Day" in the centennial state.
The bill was introduced on April 4, 2017, and signed and approved two days later to honor and recognize the significant sacrifices, achievements, and dangers each and every first responder faces every day.
The bill passed in the state legislature 64-0.
Colorado joins Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin in recognizing September 27 as "First Responder Appreciation Day."
Part of the bill's language encourages President Donald Trump to declare the day nationwide.
The bill also recognizes the high rate of PTSD among first responders, in addition to honoring the risk of injury or death of the more than one million firefighters, 800,000 emergency medical services personnel, and 750,000 law enforcement officers who serve across the country.
