CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN SFS FIRE & EMERGENCY SERVICES TO CONDUCT CONTROLLED LIVE BURN TRAINING

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – The Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station Fire & Emergency Services, a unit under Space Base Delta 1, will be conducting controlled live burn training exercises on Sept. 15, 17 and 21, 2026.

The training exercises are scheduled to take place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

During these times, residents, businesses and neighboring agencies may see visible smoke, flames and an increased presence of emergency vehicles near the installation. Because these are routine, controlled exercises conducted under strict safety supervision at the CMSFS training facility, officials request that the public not call 911 if smoke is seen from the station during these hours.

This training is vital for ensuring that military emergency responders remain fully prepared and certified. It guarantees the ongoing protection of personnel, critical national defense infrastructure, and the surrounding community in close coordination with mutual aid partners.

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For questions or comments, please reach out to Space Base Delta 1 Public Affairs at: D1.PA@spaceforce.mil">SBD1.PA@spaceforce.mil

Community invited to ceremony honoring those lost, including Mitchell graduate Kathryn Yancey LaBorie

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Twenty-five years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Mitchell High School community remains committed to honoring the lives lost and ensuring that their stories are remembered by future generations.

Mitchell High School will hold its annual 9/11 Memorial Commemoration at 9:45 a.m. Friday, September 11, at the school’s flagpole, 1205 Potter Drive, Colorado Springs.

The ceremony holds particular significance for Mitchell High School. Kathryn Yancey LaBorie, a 1975 Mitchell graduate and the lead flight attendant aboard United Airlines Flight 175, was among those killed when the hijacked plane struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

In 2023, the Kathryn Yancey Memorial Scholarship was established in her honor. Her photograph also hangs on Mitchell’s Wall of Inspiration, where students can learn about her life, courage and connection to their school.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Maj. Gen. David A. Piffarerio, a 1990 Mitchell High School graduate. Maj. Gen. Piffarerio serves as the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander of Pacific Air Forces at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Commissioned in 1994 as an honor graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Maj. Gen. Piffarerio has served in numerous operational, test and command assignments involving the F-15E, F-22 and F-16. He has flown combat missions in support of operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle. He was the first U.S. Air Force pilot to reach 1,000 flight hours in the F-22 Raptor and has logged more than 3,500 hours in fighter aircraft. In his civilian career, he is a Boeing 777 pilot with a major U.S. airline.

Mitchell High School invites students, families, alumni and members of the community to attend as the school remembers Kathryn and all those whose lives were lost or forever changed on September 11, 2001.

The ceremony is open to the public.