In response to the 2002 National Fire Plan, our fire protection district completed a Community Wild Fire Protection Plan in the spring of 2005. The CWPP identified and prioritized the need for hazardous fuels reduction around structures adjacent to Federal lands. The crew was initially formed to provide hazardous fuels reduction to homeowners, in high risk fire areas within our protection district. This work consists of using chainsaws, hand tools, and a chipper to cut, drag, chip, or pile slash in an effort to reduce dangerous fuel loading around structures.

We originally started as a five person squad and due to the amount of work that has to be done the needs for more personnel were obvious. The job of hazardous fuels reduction is very closely linked with the job of wild land fire suppression, so the next logical step was to ensure that all crew members were trained and qualified as wildland firefighters(per National Wildfire Coordinating Group). In May of 2006, with the addition of more qualified personnel, we transformed into a ten person initial attack fire/fuels crew. We worked on fuels reduction and also started responding to wildland fires. We spent the first three months of the season committed to severity assignments assisting the Pike National Forest with fire suppression. Due to the severity of the 2006 season, we started traveling nationally to assist with fire suppression in multiple other western states. During the 2006 winter, we worked hard to accomplish fuels reduction targets, and prepared to transition into a twenty person Type 2 Initial Attack Crew.

Our crew spent the 2007 fire season traveling nationally to wildland fires. The work involves long hours of laborious work constructing fire line, hiking, and mopping up. The crew is self contained and supplied with food, water, tools, and trucks so that we can spend long amounts of time away from home working in the woods. We are set up to work as a full crew of twenty, or break up into any number of smaller configurations to complete many different tasks (i.e. four squads of five, three squads of six, or two squads of ten). Our travels have taken us to fires in Minnesota, Georgia, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, California, and of course Colorado. The crew is prepared to sleep on the ground, eat terrible food, carry heavy packs, and not shower or see their families for weeks at a time. The crew is at full strength with twenty people from May through mid October. When not on fire assignments, the crew works to complete hazardous fuels reduction projects for the district. In the winter months, the crew is trimmed down to approximately six employees who continue to work on fuels projects, help with fire station and equipment maintenance, assist with medical response, attend fire training, and prepare for the next fire season.

In addition to being a very useful resource for wildland fire suppression and fuels reduction projects, the crew has the ability to respond to any all-risk incident. We can provide a self sufficient, highly flexible, and very organized resource to assist in wilderness search and rescue, flood relief, tornado or hurricane relief, earth quakes, major events, or any other catastrophic occurrence.