Manitou Springs Fire Department concerned with vaping increasing among youth

The Manitou Springs Fire Department says they're concerned with more youth using e-cigarettes and vaping devices in Southern Colorado.

David Hunting, a spokesperson for the local fire department, says he worries that more of his team's emergencies will be related to vaping injuries or health issues.

"About 80 to 90 percent of the calls the fire department receives are for medical reasons," Hunting said. "And more and more, we are increasingly concerned that we’re going to run into people suffering from respiratory distress by using vaping products - especially among our young people."

The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that the proportion of high school and middle school students who reported vaping nicotine in the past month rose to 28% and 11% in 2019, respectively. Hunting says those numbers concern him.

"Parents, talk to your children about this danger," he said.

The MSFD and health professionals held a community event Monday to raise awareness on the dangers and epidemic crisis of vaping by teenagers.