There are more people living in their vacation homes in Colorado’s resort communities. There are more people visiting and staying in short-term rental homes. “But it’s a challenge to quantify any of this,” said Jake Andersen, deputy chief of operations for the Aspen Fire Protection District. Fire chiefs like Andersen can gauge one impact of […]
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Posted inCOVID, Health, News
As hospitals fill up, paramedics — like those in Gunnison — spend more time moving patients, less on emergencies
By Helen Santoro, Kaiser Health News GUNNISON— The night after Thanksgiving, a small ambulance service that covers a huge swath of southwestern Colorado got a call that a patient needed an emergency transfer from the hospital in Gunnison to a larger one with an intensive care unit 65 miles away in Montrose. The patient — […]
Posted inHealth, News
Sprawling Las Animas County, like many rural areas, badly needs emergency responders. But it’s a teachable moment.
HOEHNE — Between the passing bells, teen students gradually find their way to a second-floor classroom at the K-12 Hoehne School where they pause before entering, raise both hands and, one by one, greet instructor Dominic “Junie” Verquer with what could be considered the class mantra. “BSI, is my scene safe?” At first glance, the […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Cellphones made it harder for Denver’s 911 call takers to track people down. Finally, that’s starting to change.
Before cellphones became ubiquitous, tracking down people who dialed 911 was one of the easier parts of an emergency-call taker’s hectic job. Infrastructure built into landlines allowed first responders to know exactly where someone in distress was ringing from, down to the unit in an apartment building. A police officer, fire crew or EMT was […]