WILDLAND

All of Berthoud Fire’s operations personnel are trained to combat
 wildfires within the District, and wildfires make up a large
portion of our call volume in the spring and summer.

In addition to local responsibilities, Berthoud Fire is a wildland
fire cooperator, which means we share our resources with other
jurisdictions in need. More than 30 members of our staff, as well as an
annual complement of seasonal wildland firefighters, are rostered in a
national database with our apparatus and equipment, and available to
deploy to fires all over the U.S.  Berthoud’s wildland team is one of
the most active cooperator programs in the state, consistently deploying
to California, Arizona, Utah, Montana and wherever the need exists.
Members of the team carry extensive certifications in everything from
incident management to coordinating with aviation resources. Deployments
can last up to 21 days, where crews are “camped” out on the fireline,
protecting homes, businesses, and entire towns while battling the
biggest wild fires in the country.

The Wildland Team is a source of great pride for the District, and
has historically contributed as a healthy revenue stream  to supplement
the District’s annual budget.

We currently have 4 single resources which are firefighters who
work on a on-call basis during wildland fire season as an additional
crew member of a team we assemble.

DIVE & SWIFT WATER RESCUE

Berthoud Fire’s Dive Rescue Program is one of the largest and most active water rescue teams in Northern Colorado, consisting of 10 Dive Rescue International certified rescue divers and 18 Swiftwater I certified rescuers. Dive and water rescue trained personnel are staffed on all three shifts, and respond to water related emergencies is a custom built 2020 Ford Transit with a  Zodiac watercraft in tow.

Ice Rescue

All District firefighters are surface ice rescue technicians. 8 members of the Dive Rescue Team are sub-surface technicians for below ice diving and are equipped with ice rescue suits for winter operations.

Rope Rescue

All District firefighters train on rope rescue, and 6 members have completed 40 hours of training from “Rigging for Rescue.”  Our rope rescue crew is equipped with various ropes and tools to perform a rescue in an area that requires lifting or lowering of a patient from difficult terrain.