Mailbag: Letters from two Fire Departments
from Lyons Fire Protection District
To our amazing Town of Lyons and Surrounding Communities:
We wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for the incredible outpouring of support and encouragement over the past week and a half. Almost immediately after the #CalWood fire started, donations started pouring into our station.= We got a delivery of hand pies from Colorado Cherry Company= The St. Vrain Market, Deli & Bakery began accepting donations for sandwiches for firefighters (and they just kept coming!). = Mojo Taqueria sent us dinner. = The Lyons Den Restaurant and Taphouse sent us green chili. = Bella La Crema hooked us up with some stellar sandwiches.= We had pizza from Pizza Bar 66 = Barking Dog Cafe gave us coffee and soup. = Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ & Taphouse-Lyons sent us BBQ dinner and offered us pulled pork sandwiches. = Lyons Dairy Bar had ice cream for us. = Rocky Mountain Pathways Ranch sent us comfort food galore. = Silver Creek Leadership Academy delivered snacks and drinks. = Justin’s mailed us chocolate and nut butter. = Celestial Seasonings sent us tea and mugs. = Babettes Artisan Bread gave us amazing bread.
We tried to keep track of all of the donations coming in, but honestly there is no way we captured everyone. Our best guess is that, along with the businesses mentioned above, we also received at least 20 individual donations of food, cookies, socks, drinks and various other items from private citizens from all over the front range. From Westminster to Fort Collins, Boulder to Berthoud, and of course, right here in Lyons, people came from all over to show their support. We’d like to thank each and every business and individual that came through for us in the past week and a half. Please know that all of your donations were much appreciated. If we missed you in the tags above, don’t hesitate to let us know so you can get the appreciation you deserve.
Thank you, everyone, for helping take care of us while we were busy taking care of our town and the surrounding areas. As the snow stops falling and things melt over the next few days, we’ll be sure to keep you posted on any changes in our district regarding the fires nearby. And, for now, we hope everyone can get a bit of rest and relaxation.
As always, stay safe out there Lyons, and thank you for all of your incredible support!
Interim Chief Steve Pischke and all of the Firefighters of LFPD
Report to Pinewood Spring and local towns,
Pinewood Springs deployed four firefighters and two apparatus to support the Estes Park Fire Department in preparing to battle the East Troublesome fire as it approached the town. In addition to Lt. John Bykerk, Pinewood sent Captain Jessica Bologna, Lt. Andrew Hart and Lt. Steve LeMaire, along with Type 6 engine 5132 and tactical tender 5141. In this instance, we sent some of our most experienced firefighters, as we felt there was the potential for some risk.
What is very important to note is that the other members of the department were just as critical to the effort as the firefighters deployed to Estes Park. Back in Pinewood Springs, Assistant Chief Andrew Lucas and I were in constant contact with our deployed teams in order to provide whatever support they needed.
Our other firefighters were standing by and our other volunteer support staff were assisting as well. With so many resources from area departments on the ground in Estes Park, it was critical to have our firefighters and equipment available in the event of another fire starting; with the heavy evacuation traffic coming down US36, quick response to any motor vehicle accident would have been necessary to keep traffic moving.
We handled a walk-in medical incident at our station. We were standing ready to implement evacuation plans for Pinewood Springs should the fire have advanced to that point. And we handled multiple telephone and walk-in requests for information, as well as constantly updating important information on our Facebook page. In addition, we assisted Estes Park Health with staging four ambulances at the Pinewood Springs fire station to protect them from possible impacts of the fire.
Best, Ted Plank | Fire Chief
Pinewood Springs Fire Protection District 10/27/20
