(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Southern Colorado is no stranger to wildfires, and now a new team is being implemented should another fire impact the community. Seven fire agencies have created a new strike team to improve efficiency and increase safety for both firefighters and communities throughout El Paso County.
The Pikes Peak Fire Chief’s Council continues to work together to redefine the process for a faster response time to incidents no matter the location in El Paso County. Five Type VI fire engines (brush trucks) from several agencies along with a strike team leader (battalion chief) make up the Pikes Peak Mutual Aid Type 6 Strike Team.
Through the collaboration of the Pikes Peak Fire Chief’s Council, the following fire agencies are committed to the sharing of resources: Black Forest Fire Rescue, Cimarron Hills Fire Department, City of Fountain Fire Department, Colorado Springs Fire Department, Falcon Fire Protection District, Monument Fire District, and Security Fire Department.
El Paso County has seen devastating wildland fires, notably the Waldo Canyon fire in 2012 which destroyed 347 homes and the Black Forest Fire a year later that wiped out more than 500 homes.
“We have burned over 77,000 acres, we’ve had 71,000 plus evacuations, four fatalities, 881 structures lost and that’s only from the four fires we’ve had since 2012,” said Chief Andrew York, Cimarron Hills Fire Department.
The Pikes Peak Mutual Aid Type 6 Strike Team has been assembled to improve response time and increase safety while limiting the devastation these fires can cause.
“Coming together for a common goal, and that is to protect and save lives within El Paso County,” Chief York explained.
The unit can respond to any wildland fire and will be immediately dispatched and on the road within 90 seconds.
“What we’ve done is we’ve identified four locations throughout El Paso County, one North, one South, East and West where those strike teams will respond directly to the incident saving valuable time,” explained Chief Andy Kovacs, Monument Fire District.
If you haven’t already, fire chiefs in El Paso County want the community to sign up for Peak Alerts. It provides a series of actions focused on preparing for an emergency and includes a checklist to get ready at a moment’s notice.
Fire chiefs across Southern Colorado say no matter where you live, it’s important to understand the hazards in that area.
“I can tell you across the region and really across the country, this is a cutting edge initiative to locally jump on this and to put this together,” Chief Randy Royal, Colorado Springs Fire Department said.
