Larimer County sheriff’s emergency services outlines expanded crews, new restrictions and tech partnerships

Larimer County commissioners on May 28 heard a progress report from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office on wildfire preparedness, an expanded emergency medical unit for austere rescues, and new mitigation staffing and technology aimed at speeding detection and response.

The update matters because county leaders said demand for emergency services — from remote medical rescues to wildfire mitigation inspections — has surged in recent years, stretching small specialist teams and prompting new hiring, grant spending and interagency coordination to protect homeowners in wildland-urban interface areas.

Sheriff John Fann opened the discussion and Chief Justin Weitzel, chief of emergency services for the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, described three core areas of change: title and organizational alignment to improve interagency briefings; an Emergency Operations Medical Unit that provides paramedic care in austere environments; and an expanded mitigation program centered on the Phantom Canyon crew and the county’s wildfire partners work.

Weitzel said the office changed internal titles so emergency staff use fire-service nomenclature when coordinating with fire departments and the U.S. Forest Service. He described a two‑paramedic Emergency Operations Medical Unit — locally known by staff as “Bam” (Battalion Chief Jeff Basmanowitz) and Tyler — that does advanced care on-scene in remote locations and does not provide patient transport. "They carry a lot of gear, ropes, helmets, life jackets,…