Early Bird

Remembering faculty member Mark Campbell

The dedicated emergency-response professional and fire expert was a valuable member of the FERA program.

By Lindsey Coulter

January 27, 2020

Mark Allen Campbell, a longtime firefighter and emergency-response educator, died Jan. 10 at age 59.

Throughout his life, Campbell remained dedicated to serving and protecting his community. In high school, he earned Eagle Scout designation; in college, he participated in U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidates School. After graduating from Ohio State University and moving to Colorado, Campbell became a firefighter, police reservist and fire-protection engineer and even trained his dog, Bandit, for arson investigation. He was a leading expert in the use of reduced-scale models for research in fire dynamics and smoke control, and he taught emerging fire professionals for more than 25 years.

Campbell became an honorary Roadrunner in 2014, volunteering his decades of skill and experience to prepare students in the Fire and Emergency Response Administration program. His role as a guest speaker ultimately led to designing upper-level Applications of Fire Research, Fire Dynamics, Fire Investigation and Analysis, and Fire Protection Structures and Systems courses. He volunteered in these capacities for 5 years based purely on his passion and commitment to preparing FERA students to become safety and emergency-response leaders.

This past fall, Campbell was officially hired as a Metropolitan State University of Denver associate faculty member to instruct the Fire Protection Structures and Systems course. He was also excited to become the lead instructor for this semester’s Applications of Fire Research course and was slated to lead Fire Dynamics courses in the fall.

Campbell is survived by his wife, Eun Mi, three children and five grandchildren. He loved woodworking, serving as a search-and-rescue volunteer, welding and trapping. Campbell’s MSU Denver colleagues remember him as a good and faithful friend who believed in the mission of the University and the critical importance of the FERA program.

Members of the MSU Denver community who would like to honor Campbell are welcome to donate to emergency and first-responder charities or leave a message of condolence for his family.