Tag: firefighters
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Firefighters from across U.S. climb Manitou Incline in remembrance of Sept. 11 attacks
Before sunrise on Friday, firefighters from across the U.S. gathered at the Manitou Incline to walk the more than 2,700 steps in honor of the 343 New York City firefighters who lost their lives trying to save others in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Some Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs…
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LETTERS: Fair housing is justice; little goat joins firefighters
Fair housing is justice Colorado Springs has a housing crisis, but it is also a moral test. A recent Regional Housing Needs Assessment reports that the city is short more than 27,000 homes today and may need about 60,000 more by 2035. Behind those numbers are workers, seniors, young families, military households, and single parents…
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United Way of Southern Colorado calls for donations, anticipates long recovery from Aspen Acres fire
As firefighters battle the Aspen Acres fire, the United Way of Southern Colorado is helping those displaced by the blaze. “This is going to take months and months to recover from,” said Shanna Farmer, president and CEO of the nonprofit, who noted the full scope of the disaster is unknown. The United Way of Southern…
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Doherty High School graduate battles wildland blazes in Colorado
As several wildfires burn across Colorado, scorching more than 160,000 acres so far and thrusting the state into the national spotlight, a retired Colorado Springs firefighter living in Bend, Ore., monitors the turmoil with particular interest. Not just because of the uncontrolled blazes raging in the state Greg Martinez used to call home, but because…
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Aspen Acres fire grows to 10th-largest in Colorado history; incident team from Alaska takes charge
The Aspen Acres fire plume towered over Custer and Pueblo counties on Thursday as the blaze continued to grow in size in extremely hot, dry and windy weather. “I’ve been a firefighter for 40 years and I’ve never seen conditions like we’re seeing,” Mike Morgan, director of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control,…
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LGFPD volunteers recognized for their efforts
Kerry Bynes was recognized for 26 years of service and Ron Howland for 23 years along with Chief Susan Bernstetter, Roger and Christine Aldridge, and Randy Zettlemoyer who all have served 17 years with Lake George Fire Protection District (LGFPD). This recognition and others were made March 1 during the annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. Volunteers…
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CommonSpirit launches free lung cancer screening program for firefighters
As a consequence of their heroic efforts, the people who save residents, pets and property from fires have a greater chance of an unwanted intruder becoming as destructive a force to their bodies as the flames and smoke they fight to help spare others. Studies have proven that firefighters are more susceptible to lung cancer…
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Colorado academy trains next generation of wildland firefighters
Wildfire activity is on the upswing in Colorado and across the U.S., and state firefighting and incident management agencies are stepping up their efforts to keep up with the changes. “In the past, firefighters gained skills gradually over many seasons,” said Schelly Olson, spokeswoman for the Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy. “They no…
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Colorado Springs Fire Department celebrates graduation of 21 new firefighters from academy
A new class of 21 trainees for the Colorado Springs Fire Department graduated from the academy on Friday afternoon. They may be the last new class of firefighters for a while. The 2025-1 class of new firefighters was celebrated at a packed ceremony at New Life Church in the far north end of Colorado Springs.…
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Colorado Springs Fire Department cancels training academy for 2026 to meet budget cuts
The Colorado Springs Fire Department has canceled training academies for new hires in 2026, a move expected to save the city about $1.6 million as officials try to plug a more than $30 million budget hole. “We had some significant cuts we had to make and to do that, we had to find those bigger…