75 CENTS
December 6, 2018
ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
Kiowa firefighters call for volunteers Department provides way to help community, gain experience for career
BY DAN ELLIOTT ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY TABATHA STEWART SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
The recent Camp Fire that devastated much of California, including the entire town of Paradise, has thrust firefighters and first responders into the spotlight, and the Kiowa Fire Protection District wants to make sure Elbert County is prepared in case of fires in the area. Dustin Courter is a volunteer firefighter with the Kiowa Fire Protection District, which is a combination district, meaning there are some full-time firefighters on staff, but much of the department is made up of volunteers. According to Courter, many more volunteers are needed to help keep the 324 square miles within the district safe. “As you see in the news, and with the Forest Ridge Fire last spring, wildland fires are continuously getting worse,” said Courter. “You get that perfect storm of high winds, dry fuels and low staffing, and we are trying to stay away from that perfect storm.” “Firefighters, whether paid or volunteer, have responsibilities that go beyond battling flames or performing life-saving measures. Many of our
Half of Coloradans live in areas of wildfire risk
The Forest Ridge Fire burned hundreds of acres south of Kiowa in March. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ELBERT COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
calls are simple requests for services such as vehicle and home lockouts, smoke detectors needing battery changes or malfunctioning carbon
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monoxide detectors,” said Fire Chief Gerry Lamansky.
The number of Coloradans whose homes are at risk from wildfires soared 45 percent in five years, reflecting the state’s booming population and changing uses of agricultural land, state officials said Nov. 26. The Colorado State Forest Service said 2.9 million people now live in the wildland-urban interface, defined as places where homes are built in or near areas that are prone to wildland fire. That represents about half the state’s population, estimated at 5.7 million as of July. In 2013, the last time the state estimated the number of people living in fire-prone areas, it was 2 million. The new statistics come as states across the West are faced with larger and more destructive wildfires, especially California. A recent northern California wildfire killed at least 85 people. The biggest single reason for the growth of Colorado’s fire risk is the conversion of agricultural land to other uses, said Mike Lester, Colorado’s state forester and director of the State Forest Service.
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VOLUME 123 | ISSUE 45