Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Latest southern Colorado news, weather and sports from FOX21 News

Hometown Heroes: AMR's response to the Waldo Canyon Fire
Posted: 03.14.2013 at 6:40 AM
Updated: 03.14.2013 at 8:45 AM
Rachel Welte

Rachel Welte is the Weekend News Anchor and a General Assignment Reporter.

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 / "Courtesy: AMR"
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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- The American Red Cross is honoring some "Hometown Heroes."

Business and individuals who exemplify courage, kindness and unselfish character.

This week FOX21 is highlighting a local company who stepped up, and made a huge difference during the Waldo Canyon Fire.

"Things started Saturday morning, June 23 when I was notified to look out the west window of my home," Scott Mccune, Operations Manager with American Medical Response, said. "We started getting crews enrout to the initial staging area at 31st and Colorado, so that is when we really started our operations."

For the next week the local AMR team worked tirelessly, moving alongside the fire as it progressed.

"We were thinking 'How bad is this thing going to get?'" Mccune said. "We need to support firefighters as they go into this dangerous situation, and anyone who is going to be evacuated."

"We had a lot of stuff going on throughout the whole week, providing for the national firefighters as well as taking care of the 911 system in Colorado Springs and the county."

AMR's biggest challenge came on Tuesday, June 26 when it was asked to help evacuate 108 residents from Mt. St Francis Nursing Facility.

"That is when we started calling people to come help us," Tawnya Silloway, Community Relations Coordinator with American Medical Response, said. "As you watched from about 4:00 p.m. you knew that was going to be a very big event."

"We sent approximately 50 units and 100 employees," Mccune said.

Not until the fire was under control did AMR slow down.

Now, looking back, the first responders are proud of what they accomplished.

"We always forget about the ambulances, AMR really is a presence, and they do a valuable service that showed through during the Waldo Fire," Lorin Schroeder, AMR's nominator, said.

"We were called to respond and meet a need, and we did," Mccune said.

The "Hometown Heroes" will get their awards March 21 at the Antler's Hilton.

You can get information about tickets to the event, and how to become a Red Cross volunteer by clicking here.

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