As school wraps up for most students in northern Colorado, one of the most popular places to cool off during the hot days of summer is the iconic Cache la Poudre River.
The river, which starts in the Rocky Mountains and rolls through to eastern Colorado, offers not only drinking water but opportunities for business and recreation as well.
In 2021 alone, PFA was dispatched more than 15 times to calls for swift water responses. Eight of those calls turned into rescue operations with a total of 20 different people being saved by firefighters. Garcia said PFA often hears of issues with Coloradans not coming prepared for the water and the terrain involved with the river.
Garcia said often times people getting in the river also overestimate their abilities to navigate adversity in waters that are very cold. Another issue causing potential harm to those on the river is a lasting effect of the historic Cameron Peak Fire. In 2020 the Cameron Peak Fire burned more acres than any other fire in Colorado history at more than 209,000.