Lane Allan Kemper

Captain Lane Kemper hated the spotlight, but the reflection from his deeds touched every corner of his department. He worked most of his three decades at downtown L.A.’s busiest, toughest station. A national expert on forcible entry, he invented techniques now taught as standard practices. In his spare time, Kemper raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for firefighter families. And yet, when twice nominated as Firefighter of the Year, he declined the nomination – he felt he was “just doing his job.” At age 54, Lane Kemper lost his battle with job-related cancer.