ALLENSPARK, Colo. — Small town fire departments are close, but after this week, the Allenspark Fire Protection District got even closer after rescuing one of their own from a serious crash.
Fire Lt. Will Heath was promoted last year after starting with the volunteer department in 2018. He manages the fleet of vehicles.
Usually, Heath would be the one at the station making everyone laugh.
However, everyone else has come together for him since Tuesday.
Alysa Mattingly got to the scene where her husband's truck was crashed before firefighters.
"I saw the truck, and I thought he was helping someone," said Mattingly. "And I got a little closer and realized it was him this time."
When firefighters arrived, they thought Heath was already there helping.
“Yup, I recognized his car from way back and I thought he was on scene," said Fire Chief Mike Cousineau.
But Heath wasn't responding to the scene, he was hit by another driver, Allenspark Fire said.
“Whenever we’re doing training, he volunteers to be the patient," said Linda Alexander, a medic with the department. "So kind of had to put yourself in that situation again, 'OK this is like training. This is what we’ve already done with him. We’ve put him on backboards we’ve pulled him out.'"
Heath was able to talk and even joke with his wife and responders, but he was badly injured.
“OK well we got you, we’re praying for you, I love you," said Mattingly over the phone to Heath just before he went into surgery on Thursday.
Allenspark firefighters rescue one of their own, rally around his recovery
Heath shattered the socket in his hip, and his recovery will take a long time.
"It’s hard," Mattingly said. "Of course, we thought many things. He’s our breadwinner, he's the rock of the family, he does it all. When I say he does it all, he’s like, 'Don’t take the trash out.'"
Now, others will be the ones doing it all for him. Already the community has raised more than $10,000 for his recovery through a GoFundMe set up by a family friend.
“I am feeling the love," said Mattingly.
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