Malcolm Cortner

City of Des Moines Fire Department Firefighter Malcolm Cortner, 42, passed away on March 2, 2025, after a courageous battle with occupational brain cancer. He served with the Des Moines Fire Department in Iowa since January 2021, and as a Paramedic for West Des Moines Emergency Medical Services for 15 years. He was 42 years old. 

Cortner was born in Bayside, Texas, to Lou and Malcolm K. Cortner. He grew up in Sloan, Iowa and graduated from Westwood Community School. After high school, he attended welding school in Tulsa, but that career was not his calling. He returned to Iowa and attended Avera McKennan School of EMS, where he received his degree as a paramedic in 2004. He enjoyed taking care of patients, the spontaneity, and adrenaline rush of emergency medicine. He worked for Siouxland Paramedics and Buena Vista Regional Medical Center. In 2006, he joined the City of West Des Moines in central Iowa. His desire to serve others while also learning a new skill set prompted his career change as a firefighter. He was hired by the City of Des Moines Fire Department in 2021 and was a member of the 97th DMFD class graduating in April 2022. He had the mental capacity to care for others with complex medical issues and the physical strength to fight fires and protect others. He held people to high standards and encouraged them to become critical thinkers. He loved teaching coworkers and students and even served as a field-training officer while working for WDM EMS. As a flight paramedic at MercyOne, Cortner was recognized with an EMS Week Award for his exceptional aptitude, dedication to patient care, and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty. While working for DMFD, he and his crewmembers rescued a dog from a fire who suffered from smoke inhalation. Rather than having him euthanized, Cortner sought treatment for the dog at the local vet. When the dog recovered, he found an amazing family to adopt the rescued dog, giving him a second chance at life. 

Cortner met his future wife, Sheena, at Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, where she was a Physician Assistant and he was a flight paramedic for LifeFlight. A mutual friend introduced them and the attraction was immediate. They had grown up in the same area and she found him smart, kind and charming. His flight suit, his blue eyes, and the way he cared for people won her over. They married and had three children together: Shealey, Madelyn and Samuel. Cortner’s greatest joy in life was being a father and spending time with his kids. He had a love for the outdoors, which became an even greater passion for him when he was able to share it alongside his wife, children, and other family members. He was a man of deep faith who guided his family with strength, knowledge, dedication and sacrifice. 

City of Des Moines Fire Department Firefighter Malcolm Cortner is survived by his loving wife Sheena, his children Shealey, Madelyn and Samuel, his mother Lou, his sisters Amber and Lia, and many other cherished family members and friends.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has provided the Cortner family with a mortgage-free home through the Fallen First Responder Home Program.