Rising costs of living and limited economic opportunities in rural Colorado contribute to struggles

The Upper Pine River Fire Protection District and eight other rural fire departments across Colorado received more than $1.3 million to help recruit and retain staff. (Courtesy of Upper Pine River Fire Protection District/File)

More than $1.3 million in grants were recently awarded to the Upper Pine River Fire Protection District and eight other fire departments to help them recruit and retain staff.

In addition to Upper Pine, Western Colorado fire departments in Palisade, Hotchkiss, Crawford, Paonia, Yampa and the Rock Creek Volunteer Fire Department, based in McCoy, were included. Other fire departments included as recipients are Rocky Ford, located in southeastern Colorado, and the Four Mile Fire Protection District in Florissant, about 35 miles west of Colorado Springs.

Rock Creek Fire Chief Brita Horn noted the difficulty in recruiting and retaining employees and contacted area fire chiefs about a “Staffing for Adequate Emergency Response” grant request. fire and emergency cases” as a group, according to an Upper Pine news release.

“Our part-time firefighters and EMTs give so much,” Upper Pine Chief Bruce Evans said in the release. “I saw this as a way to help our firefighters stay here in the Pine River Valley, a way to better meet their health and financial needs.

These rural departments struggle to recruit and retain “young, able-bodied firefighters willing and able to protect their communities,” in part because of the rising cost of living and limited economic opportunities in these areas, according to the release. . The shortage of personnel in these departments is due to the small populations of the cities and the “high demands placed” on volunteer firefighters, the press release said.

This is pushing young workers to move to cities or resorts for better job prospects, the statement added.

Grant money will be used to fund “financial incentives and essential safety equipment to make volunteering or part-time service more accessible and sustainable for community members,” covering items such as protective equipment individual, annual medical examinations and a monthly allowance for health expenses, according to the press release. said.

The grant will remove “barriers that have deterred potential volunteer or part-time firefighters and will give first responders the resources” needed to do their jobs effectively, the release said.

[email protected]

Copy article link