The Montezuma County Fire Chief’s Association has announced the inaugural Montezuma County Memorial Fire Recruit Class, named in honor of Patrick Fischer, former assistant fire chief of the Dolores Fire Protection District.

There will be seven to 10 members of the recruit class from the county, Cortez Assistant Fire Chief Shawn Bittle said.

The Fire Chief’s Association has joined forces in educating the next generation of firefighters to protect the citizens and visitors of Montezuma County. Last year, the Cortez Fire District hosted the recruit academy, but this year the recruits will rotate classes between all the county’s fire districts, Bittle said.

“It’s going really well,” he said. “They will learn more about the county and the resources we use.”

Classes for these recruits are scheduled from April 3 to Sept. 30 and will be rotated between the county’s fire districts: Cortez Fire Protection District, Dolores Fire Protection District, Mancos Fire Protection District, Pleasant View Fire Protection District, and Lewis-Arriola Fire Protection District. Graduation will be held the first week of October.

Bittle said gaining experience in different fire districts is important for recruits because all the districts rely on each other for aid when responding to emergency situations.

The recruits will be trained in fire suppression, hazardous materials, building construction, strategies and tactics of firefighting, vehicle extrication, rope rescue and other techniques. Upon completion of the class, the recruits will have the necessary training to test for the Firefighter I and Firefighter II state certifications.

Fischer was a member of the Dolores Fire Protection District from 1985 to 2005, and assistant fire chief for several years. He died in 2015.

For more information, contact Cortez Fire Chief Jeff Vandevoorde, president of the Montezuma County Fire Chief’s Association, at 970-565-3157.