From fires to floods, CSFD crews head to out-of-area emergencies in times of crisis
Celeste Springer
MESA COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Springs Fire Department says 12 crew members have been dispatched to assist in two different crises.
Four CSFD crew members have been sent to Mesa County, Colorado, where the Turner Gulch Fire continues to burn south of Highway 141.
As of 9:50 a.m. on Tuesday, the fire stood at more than 8,000 acres, according to a joint Facebook page set up by local emergency response agencies.
The Colorado Springs Fire Department says its team is assigned to protect one side of the fire encroaching on structures.
A photo shared by the Colorado Springs Fire Department shows their team stationed on one side of the Turner Gulch Fire, which sits close to a nearby home (Photo: Engine Boss/Task Force Leader Lt. Trevor Leland).
“We want to remind our community that these deployments DO NOT impact our normal emergency services in Colorado Springs,” wrote the department on Facebook. “We are grateful we have the ability to respond to help. Every deployment strengthens our firefighters’ skills, broadens their perspectives, and ultimately helps us serve our own community even better.”
CSFD says they also have eight members deployed to Kerr County, Texas. They are on the ground with Colorado Task Force 1 (CO-TF1), assisting with search and rescue operations after devastating floods hit the state.
The Pueblo Fire Department also confirms they have a crew member assisting in Texas.
CO-TF1 said the team completed a primary search of both sides of an eight-mile-long stretch of the Guadalupe River on Monday.
A crew member on their knees bends down to look underneath a pile of broken tree limbs in Kerr County, Texas (Photo: Colorado Urban Search and Rescue Task Force One).
“This is extremely detailed work, as there are thousands of piles of debris littered all along the river,” wrote a spokesperson for CO-TF1.