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Smoke, flames and hot temperatures: Wildland firefighters describe a day on the job

Team members have to wear hard hats and long pants and shirts that are fire resistant and must carry all their gear with them for the day, which can weigh about 50 pounds.
Credit: Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control
Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control Overland Crew 11 providing support for the Spring Fire

KUSA — Hundreds of firefighters are battling the multiple fires burning across the state, but we rarely get to see them at work.

A dozen members of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control Overland 11 Team just returned from fighting the Spring Fire in Costilla County, according to a spokesperson for the agency.

The team arrived on June 30 and spent two weeks working on the fire, which destroyed 132 homes and burned more than 108,000 acres, making it the third largest wildfire in state history.

"We were able to tie in with one of the divisions. We started on the north side and basically just progressed our way through," said Engine Captain Daniel Lowell. "We did some structure protection, helped doing some burnout around some houses. When we timed out after our 14 days, we [were] able to see that whole west side kind of get secured up."

The team typically started their day around 5 a.m. with a briefing to get their assignment for the day, spokesperson Caley Fisher said. They then headed to the hill where they worked until 5 or 6 p.m. in often brutal conditions.

"It could be too crazy to engage, so you just kind of sit back and watch the show and let the aircraft do their thing," said firefighter Rob Ruby, a Fort Collins native.

Team members performed a variety of tasks, including protecting homes from the fire.

"We'll remove the material around the house and basically create this buffer," Lowell said. "If we have engine support, we'll actually spray down the houses as well. There was one house where they had sprinklers, so when the fire was coming down, we turned on the sprinklers and were trying to wet down as much as we could."

Team members have to wear hard hats and long pants and shirts that are fire-resistant. They also must carry all their gear with them for the day. But they don't carry the air tank or wear masks like residential firefighters.

Their gear, which includes at least one gallon of water, can weigh about 50 pounds.

"Sometimes we get a 30-minute lunch break where we get to sit down and take a break," said James Jaworowski, the team's lead firefigher. "Sometimes there is no break, and you just snack throughout the day...because fire doesn't stop some days."

The hours are long and conditions are brutal due to the fire, smoke, tough terrain and soaring temperatures. They also spend weeks away from their loved ones.

But they all say it's worth it in the end.

"It's challenging," Lowell said. "It's something that kind of pushes you to your limits. It's an adrenaline rush."

Ruby, the Fort Collins native, became a wildland firefighter following the High Park Fire that burned west of the city in 2012.

"I was basically watching where I grew up burn down, Ruby said. "I kind of felt an obligation to help out with that."

The team expects to be ready to deploy to another fire sometime next week, if needed.

Have a question or comment? Email me at janet.oravetz@9news.com.

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