Firefighters, paramedics and police respond to emergency calls on fires, search and rescues and shootings. But when first responders needs help, it’s Emergency Incident Support that arrives.

The nonprofit organization in El Paso County provides food, water and shelter for first responders. Whatever the emergency, volunteers are with firefighters, police and paramedics, anticipating their needs.

“Most of the time, those folks are out there in an environment where they don’t have any other support, especially in wildland fires, or residential fires, or whatever the situation, and they’re out there for extended periods of time,” Emergency Incident Support President Roger Lance said. “So we provide hot meals, snacks, hydration, anything that they need, or would likely find a place where they can sit down and take a break.”

Lance, 72, created Emergency Incident Support when another organization in the region, Pikes Peak Firefighters Association, was planning to disband.

He and a few other volunteers did not want to see the resources dissolve, so they decided to create Emergency Incident Support, which focuses on carrying out the previous organization’s mission, but also provides support for a wider range of organizations including police, paramedics, victims of emergencies and members of the media.

That was almost two and half years ago, Lance said. The organization has since expanded with a total of 32 volunteers, three converted ambulances equipped to serve food and store supplies, a trailer with a mobile kitchen and a truck to tow it.

“They tell us what their favorite things are, like right now it’s Twinkies and Ding Dongs and apple pie and sloppy joes and sometimes they want breakfast burritos at night,” long-time group volunteer Mary Williamson said. “I mean they could want these at any time.”

Williamson, 75, said the volunteers learn what the first responders need from being on scene, whether it’s packing eye drops for firefighters or food for police dogs.

“It’s an awesome resource to have,” Colorado Springs Fire Department spokesman Mike Smaldino, said. “We’re interested in mitigation of the incident so it’s nice to have someone to take care of it so we can focus on the incident. They’re the behind-the-scenes heroes.”

But providing hundreds of meals for Gannon Stauch’s search and rescue teams, giving Gatorade to firefighters battling the Wild Horse fire, or ensuring there are enough vehicles and volunteers does not come free and the organization struggles to get donations, Lance said.

“Now we’re asking for grants,” Lance said. “And we’ve been, you know, like every other — sometimes we’re successful, and sometimes we’re not.”

Lance said the group is also struggling to find a place to house the vehicles and equipment. Everything used to be stored at the Wescott Fire Department’s inactive station. But, when it recently became an active station, Emergency Incident Support was relegated to the driveways and garages of its volunteers.

Despite the obstacles the organization faces, the volunteers said they find fulfillment helping the county.

“Our reward really out of this whole thing is when we show up, we see the smiles,” Lance said.