First Responders

Thousands of people in the U.S. Department of Agriculture were fired in February as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce. Although wildland firefighters were exempt from the mass firing, many fired federal employees had secondary wildfire-fighting responsibilities.  This came during a busy wildfire season in Western Colorado, which included the fourth-largest wildfire in state history. Now the White River National Forest is hoping to fill fourteen new positions.

If you want real-time information about wildfires across the West, there’s an app for that. It’s called Watch Duty. KDNK’s Amy Hadden Marsh recently sat down with Watch Duty staff to find out what makes Watch Duty tick.

Longtime Meeker resident Peggy Strate is packed and ready to go. Many Meekerites have already vacated their homes, anticipating evacuation orders to come any minute. Strate says she feels optimistic and grateful to first responders, but with both the Lee and Elk fires at 0% containment, anything is possible.

KDNK’s news team brings you local and regional news from the Roaring Fork Valley ... and beyond.

Updates from the Coulter Creek Fire outside Carbondale

A draft report from Colorado’s EMS Sustainability Task Force found that emergency medical services are at risk of disappearing in many parts of the state. They’re facing a lack of funding, staffing shortages and declining volunteerism.

Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center has been selected as the 2020 Colorado Communication Center of the Year. In June the center became the…

On Thursday October 10th Pitkin County officially elevated the status of 911 Dispatchers to the title of First Reponder. KDNK’s Lucas Turner has more on…