Southern Colorado establishes Interagency Wildland Fire Team

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In response to the increase in fire activity a group called the Southern Colorado Interagency Wildland Fire Team has been established led by Superintendent Shane Coyne.

The ‘South Group’ is made up of people from Security Fire Protection District, Hanover Fire Protection District, Fountain Fire Department, Stratmoor Hills Fire Protection District, Fort Carson Fire and Emergency Services, and Southwest Highway 115 Fire Protection District.

This newly formed team will consist of highly trained, motivated, and experienced wildland firefighters from across the region.

“I am sober to the work that continues ahead but honoured and excited by this opportunity to create a new wildland fire team,” said superintendent Shane Coyne of the Southern Colorado Interagency Wildland Fire Team.

“On these red flag days were actually manning extra apparatus or combining it with apparatus that are already down here. So that when the fire call does come out, we’re on scene way quicker and we’re not trying to respond from various locations throughout the county to get here.”

Chief Robert Fisher, Fort Carson Fire and Emergency Services said the formalising the partnership will allow them to cut the number of calls they will need to make to agencies to source available emergency responders.

Coyne continued: “In the big picture we just have to realise that fire season is all year long and that we can get a big fire anytime of the year. We can’t let our guard down, there’s no time to rest really. We always have to think that even if it’s December and we think there’s snow on the ground, we think it’s cold that fire could get up and move.

“Every time we’ve had a challenge or something to work through, we’ve made it through that and it has come together actually very quickly.” He added: “This team’s journey will always be a mountain with no top but we are driven by the desire to serve others.”

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