It’s already been an extraordinarily rough wildfire season, and the summer is only half over. There is historic drought throughout the western United States and unprecedented high temperatures have led to catastrophic fires throughout North America and Europe. More than four million acres in the U.S. have burned in wildland fires so far this year and nearly seven million acres have burned in Canada.
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The wildfire season has taken a particular toll on Colorado, with over a dozen major fires burning at any given time this summer. There have also been five firefighter fatalities in the state; four who were overrun while fighting the Knowles Fire on the Colorado-Utah border and one who died while piloting a firefighting helicopter deployed to the Gold Mountain Fire near Ouray.
Deploying medics to the wildfire front line
Wildland firefighters often work with specialized wildland paramedic teams that provide medical support during lengthy and dangerous deployments. One such team, based in Edwards, Colorado, has deployed to numerous wildland fire incidents since 2020.
That team is part of Eagle County Paramedic Services, which provides basic and advanced life support services and transport for residents from Vail to Gypsum along the I-70 corridor. In addition to wildland paramedics, the agency also has specialized teams for backcountry search and rescue, as well as tactical incidents.
Wildland Response Coordinator Joel Simonson said that the wildland paramedics team was originally formed because “several of our paramedics had past experience in wildfire, either as line paramedics or with engine assignments.” He noted that during the first year of the team’s existence, they responded to three of the largest wildfires in Colorado’s history.
There are currently 15 wildland team members: 12 paramedics and three EMTs. All are red card certified, meaning they have completed the required classroom work and hands-on field training, and passed rigorous medical screenings and physical fitness testing to respond as wildland firefighters.
According to Hank Bevington, special operations supervisor for Eagle County Paramedics, the wildland response team is marked as “available” through the Interagency Resource Ordering Capability (IROC) federal database. Organizational leadership makes the decision whether wildland team paramedics can be spared from their regular assignments to respond to wildfire emergencies.
“It’s incredibly challenging, as these employees can be on a fire for 14 days, plus travel and recovery days,” Bevington said. “As a result, we are not always marked as available in the system, but when we can be, we are.”
The team has responded to major incidents in Colorado and beyond, including the Lee Fire in 2025 — the fourth largest fire in Colorado history — and the South Rim Fire at Black Canyon in Gunnison National Park that same year. So far this season, the team has deployed to the Keystone Fire in Rio Blanco County and the Gold Mountain Fire in southwestern Colorado, the site of one firefighter LODD.
Wildland paramedics are deployed specifically for medical response, which can include anything from treating blisters or dehydration to handling major trauma such as chainsaw injuries, fractures, smoke inhalation or concussions.
According to agency Public Information Officer Katie Coakley, since all team members are cross-trained and certified as wildland firefighters, they are also prepared to step in and assist operationally on an as-needed basis.
“And some of them enjoy that part, so they’ll get more hands on if they can,” Coakley said.
Having a specialized medical team onsite at major incidents takes pressure off the fire response team.
“If someone does get hurt, they’ll take control of that situation, and I can continue to focus on putting the fire out,” said Hugh Fairfield-Smith, division chief of wildland operations for the Eagle River Fire Protection District. “And that’s really important.”
Without embedded support, ALS response can take many hours to reach remote areas.
There are several organizations throughout the western U.S. that provide emergency medical support specifically for wildland firefighters, including private companies. Eagle County Paramedic Services is a special district, supported by a tax funded mil levy and ambulance user fees.
The need for wildland fire medical support
Firefighting resources in Colorado are already stretched thin and, historically, some of the worst wildfires in the state have occurred from August to October.
Additionally, Colorado’s most recent winter season recorded a historically low snowpack, hitting just 24% of normal levels by early April 2026 due to warm winter temperatures and a late-March heat wave. Record high temperatures have been recorded across the state, with rivers and reservoir levels at record lows, and although recent storms have brought some welcome rain, lightning has ignited additional fires.
Wildland paramedics play an important role in providing the support firefighters need in these challenging times.
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