Saturday will mark 25 years since 14 wildland firefighters were killed on a hillside battling the Storm King Mountain Fire.
The day is still fresh in the memories of wildland firefighters like Brian Delasantos. In July 1994, Delasantos was just two months into his job at Littleton Fire Rescue.
He didn’t fight the fire in Glenwood Springs, but he followed the headlines from home. Now a captain with South Metro Fire Rescue, Delasantos and fellow firefighters rely on lessons learned from the tragedy 25 years ago.
A lot has changed for wildland firefighters in the years since the Storm King fire:
Alternate exits, safety zones
“A crew nowadays would establish before they really got embedded deep into the firefight like they were that day – they would establish and flag alternate exits basically off the hill,” Delasantos said.
Fire crews identify escape routes and what Delasantos called “safety zones.”
“A big enough area that won’t burn where you can seek refuge,” Delasantos explained. “Things like football fields or vineyards, gravel parking lots – things like that.”
Firefighters often create their own safety zones using bulldozers or drip torches to clear away anything that could fuel a fire.
Designated lookout
Delasantos said fire crews also designate a lookout to monitor fire conditions and keep the team safe.
“That’s one person that doesn’t get down in the trenches and work,” he said. “They go up high somewhere and establish a good lookout position.”
Pocket guides
Firefighters also carry a book of firefighting standards called the Incident Response Pocket Guide.
“If the checklist is gone through and it’s decided that it’s not worth it or too dangerous, then we figure out a different way to put the fire out,” Delasantos said.
Memorial
There is now a memorial for the 14 firefighters at Two Rivers Park in Glenwood Springs. A trail was also built on Storm King Mountain.
Friday and Saturday, families of the fallen firefighters will gather to remember the loved ones they lost.