10 members of El Paso County Wildland Fire Team have quit since start of 2022
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The "inaccurate" tweet saying 18 volunteer firefighters mass resigned from the El Paso County Wildland Fire team wasn't too far off -- according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, a total of 10 members of the fire team have quit since the start of the year.
The sheriff's office blasted the tweet that was posted to the @epcwildland Twitter account Friday, calling it inaccurate. The @epcwildland account had also claimed that the "mass resignation" was in response to a hostile environment.
The tweet from @epcwildland also claims a letter was sent to Sheriff Bill Elder outlining their grievances. We've requested a copy of the letter, but the sheriff's office says they're still currently researching it.
A sheriff's office spokesperson didn't comment on the allegation of the hostile environment, but they did confirm to 13 Investigates on Monday that 10 volunteers and employees with the Wildland Fire team have resigned.
The El Paso County Deputy Fire Warden, Kevin Junglen, is also no longer employed with the county according to a spokesperson with the Sheriff's Office. The Deputy Fire Warden oversees the day to day operations with the El Paso County Wildland Fire team. It's unclear why Junglen no longer holds the post, or how he left the position.
The wildland fire team, which has been integral in responses to large fires like Waldo Canyon in 2012 and Black Forest in 2013, currently has nineteen members -- four are paid and fifteen are volunteers.
It's not clear what the sheriff's office is doing to replace the members who resigned, but a spokesperson said it won't affect the county's ability to respond to wildfires because other local fire departments and groups are ready to go if needed.
An interim Deputy Fire Warden is currently in place, overseeing the day to day operations for the Wildland Fire team.
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