RIO BLANCO COUNTY, Colo. 鈥� Since early August, wildfires have burned on both sides of Meeker in Rio Blanco County. West of town, the Lee Fire has grown to more than 113,000 acres, an area larger than the entire city and county of Denver.
Now the fifth-largest blaze in Colorado history, the Lee Fire ignited on Aug. 2 and has challenged crews from the outset, reported.
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As firefighters battle the flames around the clock, embedded paramedics accompany them, ready to treat any crew member who gets hurt.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 let your guard down,鈥� Eagle County Paramedic Robin Weiss, one of 12 Eagle County paramedics certified for wildland duty. Deployed to Rio Blanco County as a line medic, Weiss spends each day shadowing frontline crews, ready to treat injuries as they battle the blaze.
鈥淚t feels good to be out here and utilize my skills and what feels like really impactful way,鈥� Weiss said. 鈥淭his is the biggest fire I鈥檝e been on, and it鈥檚 still raging.鈥�
鈥淭hose firefighters are putting their necks on the line out there and they need good qualified, you know, paramedicine backing them up,鈥� Paramedic Supervisor Hank Bevington said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty dangerous and being able to help out and lend a hand is makes, I think, everyone feel pretty good.鈥�
Midway through his 14-day stint at the Lee Fire, Weiss says he relishes backing the larger mission and is ready to extend his deployment to keep firefighters safe.
