The Colorado Springs Gazette final

Fire protection districts receive grants awards

BY BENN FARRELL

COLORADO SPRINGS • The Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District and Black Forest Fire Rescue were among five area fire protection districts that recently received grants for emergency services.

The El Paso County Emergency Services Authority presented grant awards to a number of fire agencies May 16 at the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management in Colorado Springs. Grant funding for five recipient agencies totaled $14,289.15.

Black Forest Fire Rescue, Calhan Fire Protection District, City of Fountain Fire Department, Falcon Fire Protection District, and Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District all received grants that they will invest in continuing education, training and necessary equipment for their emergency response.

In awarding the grants, the ESA considered the needs of the applying agencies as well as how the grant would enhance emergency medical services in El Paso County.

The grant awarded to Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District’s EMS was for emergency child restraints.

Tri-Lakes Monument’s EMS battalion chief Sean Pearson said the need for emergency child restraints was determined from input from the EMS crews as well as the fact that the grant was capped at $5,000.

“The availability of this grant came on short notice and it will allow us to save, and potentially use, this budget item on another project,” Pearson said.

The district’s current pediatric restraint system has a smaller weight range for securing children and infants to the ambulance cots, he said. The newer system EMS services looks to acquire is color coded to match the Broselow Tape System of pediatric care.

The Broselow system is a color-coded system which helps provide quick and accurate medication dosing by utilizing length to categorize pediatric patients using color zones. The system also offers immediate access to crucial pre-sized emergency equipment. Pearson said EMS uses this system to estimate weight range based on patient lengths and it gives us immediate drug dosing and other pediatric emergency care information.

“The crews are then able to pull the correct color-coded restraint out of the bag and secure a pediatric patient to the ambulance cot, saving valuable time and ensuring the patient is adequately secured during transport, improving safety,” Pearson said.

The grant to Black Forest Fire Rescue will be used for paramedic equipment, according to a county news release.

The amount of the grant was not noted.

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2022-05-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

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