Dotsero facility provides live fire training for students
Students from Colorado Mountain College will have sporadic live fire training through Dec. 11
Colorado Mountain College for more than 50 years has been training first responders. Firefighter trainees from the college’s Fire Academy recently received hands-on experience inside the Dotsero Training Facility with live fire.
The center is housed in a large vertical building that sits north of Interstate 70 on the east side of Glenwood Canyon.
“With the Grizzly Creek Fire being so close to where our training is being held, it is important for our trainees to learn the importance of structure protection and how to apply it to their communities,” said Zak Miller, Colorado Mountain College’s fire science program coordinator based at CMC Vail Valley at Edwards.
Motorists traveling along I-70 may see smoke and fire as a result of this training, which is under strict guidelines and will be permitted to only burn in the center’s non-combustible building with favorable weather conditions.
Due to the increase in fire starts, drought conditions and a statewide fire ban, the college needed approval from the Gypsum Fire Protection District and the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office to allow students to train with live fire at the facility.
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The college also offers firefighting instruction in Leadville and Rifle.
Live structure fire training will be held sporadically through fall semester until Dec. 11. For more information about the Dotsero Training Facility, email Miller, zsmiller@mail.coloradomtn.edu. For more information about the CMC Fire Academy, go to https://coloradomtn.edu/programs/fire-academy/.
