Successful EMS, public-education, GIS and wildfire programs make the Colorado Springs (Colo.) Fire Department one to watch.

The department provides a comprehensive EMS array. All line personnel are trained as EMTS, and ALS services are provided from every fire station. Bike patrol and special event units cover community events, and a tactical unit covers high-risk police activities.

With the latest in AED technology, paramedics are able to transport a cardiac patient from the scene to the cath lab well below the nationally recommended average of 90 minutes. The department has reduced “door to wire” time from 135 minutes to 67 minutes, a 50% reduction, with several times under 40 minutes and one recorded at under 30 minutes.

The department also provides an array of targeted public-education interventions based on a comprehensive analysis of risks and demographics. From a clown and puppet show to programs for seniors and businesses, the pub-ed staff tailors learning around the type of incidents experienced by those selected at-risk groups.

The department also has a targeted juvenile fire-setter program. With close linkage to the department's arson unit and the local court system, staff members intervene to correct this destructive behavior and assist this at-risk group.

The department's automatic vehicle location system was recognized in 2006 with an award of merit from the International Association of Fire Chiefs. The system provides mapping, routes and traffic light intervention in all fire apparatus. In addition, the system is designed to provide building/occupancy details when the fire company is on the scene.

The department vegetation management program has been used at the National Fire Academy as a model program in teaching risk management. Serving more than 40,000 residential properties in the urban interface at the foot of Pikes Peak, the department provides citizens with education, guidance and material support to help mitigate the threat to their property from wildfires. The entire program is Web-based, with extensive GIS information on each individual property.

Challenged by annexation of property and the resultant growth, development and demand for services, the department has completed a series of deployment plans. The department has developed a computer model that allows the fire chief to place an operational unit in any city location and can predict impact on response times and workload distribution.

Chief Manuel Navarro took command of the Colorado Springs Fire Department in 1994. He has an undergraduate degree in public administration, is a graduate of the Harvard Senior Executive Program, and holds master instructor certification with the state of California and instructor certification with the state of Colorado. He has taught fire science for 35 years and was a lead instructor in California's heavy-rescue training courses. Navarro served as an original member of the FEMA committee that developed the concept for a national USAR program and led the effort in Oakland to develop California Task Force 4.

Name of Department: Colorado Springs Fire Department

Location: Colorado Springs, Colo.

Type: Career

Area served: 197 square miles; population of 387,666

Services provided: Fire suppression, EMS, hazmat response, specialty rescue (heavy, swiftwater, dive, ice, confined space, trench and high angle), wildland firefighting team, fire prevention, inspection and community education, GIS

Size of department: 494

Number of stations: 20

Apparatus: 20 front-line engines, six front-line aerial trucks, one hazmat unit, one heavy-rescue unit, three trauma squad units, one decon unit, one mini-pumper, 14 brush trucks, two reserve aerials, three reserve pumpers, one air truck, one hose wagon

Annual Budget: $54,779,482