Demand soars for rural emergency teams

Faced with rapid population growth, rural emergency service providers along the Front Range are finding new ways to support their life-saving services.

“The urban interface wildfire problem is growing rapidly,´ said Bob Gann, fire chief of Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department. “Growth is outstripping the ability of local (fire and emergency medical service) departments to keep up.”

The Rist Canyon VFD has doubled in size from two stations and four working vehicles five or six years ago to four stations and eight trucks.

Now in its 22nd year of existence, the Rist Canyon VFD has 22 active responders and serves a 96-square-mile area.…