Pueblo West firefighters recognized for saving man's life in heroic ice rescue

Pueblo West firefighters who executed a risky nighttime operation to rescue a man from an icy pond in January received a standing ovation during the metro district board meeting Monday.

Pueblo West Fire Chief Brian Caserta, flanked by the group of heroic firefighters, told the board they "responded to a call we don't see every day, but it shows our crews are well trained."

The call came in at 2 a.m. on Jan. 16, when a man fell into the icy Cattails Pond while attempting to rescue his dog, who had been chasing waterfowl. Both the dog and man fell through the ice.

"The temperature was below zero and it was dark, making the rapid rescue even more difficult," Caserta explained.

Several attempts to rescue the man with throw bags failed, so "Capt. Drew Sinks got into an ice rescue suit and traveled 130 feet onto the ice to contact and secure the victim," Caserta explained. The dog had already gotten out of the water on its own.

Once on shore, the man was taken to an American Medical Response ambulance, where crews warmed him up and transported him to a local hospital. He was treated and later released from the hospital.

"The rescue happened within nine minutes of the first unit's arrival. That is an incredible time frame," Caserta said.

"It was such a positive outcome on a high-risk, low-frequency call. It is without a doubt one of the most dangerous calls and we've been able to save a life."

Caserta said the call was handled by the B shift group, but firefighters from both the A and C shifts also responded along with Pueblo County sheriff's deputies.

The board and members of the audience gave a thundering round of applause and a standing ovation to show their appreciation to the firefighters.

Pueblo West fire department calls continue to increase

Caserta told the board the fire department responded to 4,026 calls for service in 2022, but the number increased to 4,291 in 2023. That equals more than 11 calls a day, he said.

"It's just astonishing to me it is over 4,000, because when I started (in 2001) it was a little over 750 calls," he explained. "This shows the growth and size of the community, but also the complexity and severity of calls have changed."

"We had four shooting calls in the past four and a half weeks. Some were accidental, some were not, but our firefighters have really stepped up in the community's time of need," Caserta said.

The most frequent calls for emergency medical service assistance are falls, Caserta said, while brush fires are the number one call for firefighting assistance.

Fire Station 2 construction update

Work on the new $5.3 million Fire Station 2 at 715 S. McCulloch is progressing and the last truss will be set in place during a topping-out ceremony at 12:3 p.m. Friday, Caserta said.

"We are looking at a June 6 move-in date," he explained.

The station replaces an unmanned fire station on the district's southwest side. It is funded by a voter-approved 1-cent sales tax that has been collected since Jan. 1, 2021.

Two district manager finalists will meet the community March 8

The finalists for the Pueblo West Metro District's manager post are Interim District Manager Christian Heyn and Beverli Marshall, who most recently served as the city manager of Glenwood Springs.

The two will meet with the community at 5 p.m. March 8 at Cat's Pourhouse, 147 Tiffany Drive. The district also is accepting feedback on residents' interactions with the candidates via email at publiccomment@pueblowestmetro.us.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, two Pueblo West residents — Susan Ragan and Christine Evans — questioned the selection of Marshall as a finalist.

Marshall "was fired from Glenwood Springs and we need a district manager who is dedicated to the district and knows Pueblo West," Evans said in a written comment.

More on Pueblo West Fire: Pueblo West breaks ground on new Fire Station No. 2. Here's what to know

Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via X, formerly Twitter, at twitter.com/tracywumps. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo West firefighters applauded at metro board meeting for ice rescue