As Crested Butte ramps up its fire and emergency medical services, three long-time volunteers-turned-captains celebrate the payoffs of dedication. By Erica Andrews
The increasing number of people living in and passing through the Crested Butte area has prompted a new era in its fire and medical emergency services. With a mixture of familiar and new faces, the Crested Butte Fire Protection District is transforming from a volunteer organization to one with paid leadership and staffing. “There’s been a national decline in volunteerism all around, but as a district we still have a duty to provide a certain level of service to the community,” said Fire Chief Rob Weisbaum. Six years ago, with only two paid administrative positions, the District relied almost entirely on volunteers to provide 24/7 staff coverage for the Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services (EMS), which have historically been separate divisions. Since Weisbaum came on board five years ago, the two departments have been combined and each has a chain of command. The restructuring emphasized promoting from within as much as possible. Between fire and emergency medical services, the District now employs 20 full-time and 12 part-time staff, plus around 50 volunteers. A local property tax mill levy, passed handily by voters in November 2017, was critical in helping the District attract, hire and retain qualified members and increase the professionalism of the District, Weisbaum said. “We received EMS service of the year in 2017 for the state of Colorado. We now have six critical care medics, which means we can do a lot of what the hospital does. And we have state-of-the-art equipment.” He noted Photos by Nathan Bilow
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