Paul Jackson and Greg Adsluf elevate the act of volunteering to one of simple dedication to the Four Mile Fire Protection District. They sacrifice personal time while finding satisfaction in service and, better yet, appreciation.

Lt. Jackson leads a Four Mile team that tests the moisture in fuels. The team looks at four regions in Teller County, each with a varying degree of moisture content

“We are at all-time lows for moisture right now,” he said. “The northern exposure is ‘cold,’ with more shade and the south end is ‘hot.’”

The team collects sample specimens such as pine needles and branches from ponderosa, spruce, pinon and pine trees. The team rates the samples on how long each takes to absorb or lose moisture.

Jackson “cures” the samples in a fuel moisture lab for 24 hours, weighs each sample and documents the moisture content on an Excel spreadsheet.

“We test to see if our samples are critically dry,” Jackson said. “The percentage of moisture tells us where the danger areas are. We test 100 different materials or more.”

When the lab work is complete, Jackson sends the report on to the local fire chiefs, Teller County and state officials as well as the National Weather Service.

“I am very proud of the work we do,” he said.

When he isn’t out testing trees for moisture content, Jackson serves as a ground contact for UCHealth helicopters who arrive in emergency situations,

“I like helping people,” he said.

Greg Adsluf  

Part-time resident of Four Mile, Greg Adsluf had a feeling when he first met Chief Chris Hawkins and the crew during an introductory course about wildland fire behavior.

“There are good vibes in this place,” he said.

From the good vibes to pitching in, Adsluf started out tracking Four Mile’s daily fire zone weather, humidity, winds, temperatures and thunderstorms and shares the information on WhatsApp. 

“Pay attention, be ready, just in case. It’s just to keep people in that mindset,” he said. “I never knew the role that wildfire played in my personal life up here.”

After only a few months, Adsluf is learning about crazy weather patterns in Four Mile.

“Last November we got a call for a single tree fire in a rainstorm,” he said, “the team put out the fire and then we got another call in the rain.”

Like Hawkins, Adsluf recognizes the reluctance of Four Mile residents to call 911. 

“When they do call, it’s time to get there,” he said. “I have a responsibility to get us there safely but urgently.”

Among his duties is making sure the equipment is in tip-top shape.

“I’m responsible for a quarter or a half of a million-dollar vehicle and the lives of two or three people assigned to me,” he said.  “That’s a lot and I owe it to everybody to know about the equipment and keep it fresh; I read the instruction manual every two months.”

Adsluf acknowledges spending a lot of time at the fire station.

“This is my first firehouse, and I have feelings for it; people have taught me a lot – as well as the people around here,” he said. “I’ve always been a loner so being part of something is learning experience for me.”

Then there’s that other thing, finally being able to revert to childhood fantasies.

“It’s fun. What 7-year-old boy doesn’t love driving a fire truck with lights,” he said. “I still have that boy inside me. Volunteering here is an entertaining thing to do; it’s very satisfying to help people, even if it’s just the little things.”