A Springs Firefighter Falls 80 Feet Near Helen Hunt Falls

Anders Nelsona.nelson@krdo.com

COLORADO SPRINGS – Just after noon today, four firefighters were near Helen Hunt Falls trying to familiarize themselves with the area. At that time one of the men slipped off the trail and onto what was being described as an ice flow. The ice flow looks to have been caused by the warm conditions during the day melting the snow and the below freezing conditions overnight. The firefighter fell about 80 feet and bounced off obstacles on the way down. At this point only minor injuries have been reported.

The crews did have the appropriate safety gear for the conditions but that does not always prevent accidents.

Brian Keys with the Colorado Springs fire department said that they were wearing “wire mesh tracks, we put on our shoes to kind of help in slippery conditions,” he went on to say that, “they were not on the slab of ice or they would have had crampons on.”

The fireman is Acting Lt. with Station 13 in Colorado Springs and has been on the Department for 18 years. It took just over two hours for the fire crews to get him out of the forest.

As of now the name and the condition of the injured firefighter has not been released. We will bring you more information as it come available.