Personnel

Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue proudly provides 24/7 ALS (advanced life support) with paid career staff on every shift. Currently, each shift is staffed with a minimum of two (2) full time Lieutenants and six (6) full time Firefighters (who are also EMTs or Paramedics). The career staff operate on a "48/96 A/B/C" style schedule, meaning the personnel are at the fire station for a 48-hour shift and then have 96 hours off before their next shift. The Command Staff, which includes the Fire Chief, Assistant Chief, Battalion Chief, and EMS Captain work at the Administrative Office Monday through Friday, and provide additional staffing coverage, when needed. All career staff, excluding civilian positions, are certified to a minimum of Colorado Firefighter I and Hazardous Materials Operations, as well as EMT, with the opportunity to become certified to Firefighter II, Airport Rescue Fire Fighter, Hazardous Material Technician, and Fire Officer I, as well as higher levels of EMS certifications. The firefighters live at the station while on shift, so you may see them out shopping for groceries, cooking, working out at the local Parks and Recreation District, washing trucks, or performing general station maintenance while they are on shift. The firefighters are trained to drop whatever task they are performing in order to quickly and efficiently respond to any emergency.

The Volunteer Firefighters at Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue are people who choose to donate their time to keep others safe, and they make up the majority of the personnel that respond to emergencies. Some Volunteer Firefighter's live within the boundaries of the Fire District and choose to run calls from their homes, responding to a station in an emergency to provide additional apparatus when needed. Other Volunteer Firefighters pull a required amount of shift hours a month, performing the same duties and tasks assigned to the full-time career personnel on shift. As a combination department, Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue relies very heavily on its volunteer personnel and expects them to perform to the same level of paid career personnel on duty. All firefighters are trained to a minimum of State of Colorado Firefighter I and Hazardous Materials Operations with First Responder certification. Some personnel choose to pursue higher levels of certification and are certified to a Firefighter II, EMT, or Paramedic Level.

The Volunteer EMS Division at Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue performs many of the same duties that the Volunteer Firefighters perform; however, they are limited to EMS only tasks, such as responding on medical emergencies and assisting with medical operations on a fire scene. The Volunteer EMS Division is made up of dedicated volunteers who have no desire to become firefighters, or are eager to join Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue prior to completing a Colorado State Firefighter I Academy. Personnel assigned to the Volunteer EMS Division are given preference to fill slots in the annual fire academy if they wish to pursue a firefighting certification. The EMS division consists of personnel certified to the levels of EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate, and Paramedic.