Response Teams
Who We Are
The Emergency Services Division has three integrated teams: Fire, Dive Rescue/Recovery, and Search and Rescue Teams. The teams were organized in 1989 under the former Pueblo County Department of Public Safety and Operations, which evolved into the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) and is now the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office Emergency Services Division. The Division is responsible for the overall management of the Teams, with the majority of the Team funding provided by the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office annual budget.
Prior to 1989, Team activities were provided through other Pueblo County offices. Wildland Fire, plus dive rescue/recovery services, were performed by the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office. Search and Rescue services were provided through the Pueblo Civil Defense Agency. After the Civil Defense Agency was absorbed into the new Public Safety and Operations on January 1, 1989, discussions between the new department, the Sheriff, and volunteers resulted in the Team's formation. The Emergency Services Division's Team, established in late 1989, aims to improve service delivery efficiency while continuing to meet the Sheriff's statutory responsibilities of providing wildland fire suppression and coordinating search and rescue. The successful partnership has lasted, responding to over 1,600 calls, and continues into its 20th year.
Training
Team members are trained in several areas, depending on their functional discipline, including:
- Basic First Aid/CPR
- Dive Rescue/Recovery
- Hazmat Awareness
- National Incident Management System
- Search and Rescue
- Wildland Fire Fighting
Where We Are
Pueblo County is in southeastern Colorado, approximately 100 miles south of Denver. Most of the county is in the eastern plains, while its southwestern corner includes a portion of the Wet Mountains, with its high point (Greenhorn Mountain) reaching an elevation of 12,347 feet. The Arkansas River flows west to east through central Pueblo County, paralleled by U.S. Highway 50. Interstate 25 runs north-south through the county, meeting U.S. Highway 50 in the City of Pueblo. The County's varied geography gives us the opportunity for equally varied responses.