Fighting Fires From Prison

RIFLE, Colorado — In the past, the only thing fire meant to Kentson Avila was to light up a marijuana joint or a meth pipe.

Today, fire means it’s time to go to work.

As a member of the State Wildland Inmate Fire Team (SWIFT), Avila has discovered a new chapter in his life.

He is a firefighter; he is suddenly somebody with a future. This new chapter is also an escape from an ugly past.
He was a drug dealer in Montrose, and that’s why he’s now serving an 8-year prison sentence for felony distribution.

On April 14, ferocious 50-mph winds fanned a small fire near Carbondale into a frightening torrent of flames and smoke. Hundreds of homes were threatened.

More than 50 miles away, Avila and 19 other members of the inmate fire team dressed in their gear and sped to Carbondale from the Rifle Correctional Center north of Rifle Gap Reservoir.

More than 1,000 acres burned, but no homes were destroyed. It was a job well-done by all the fire crews.

That was Avila’s first time fighting a fire.

“Getting the call was a real rush. Lots of excitement but we were nervous,” he said.

For Pete Davis, a correctional support trade supervisor for the SWIFT team, he saw the usual fear and anxiety in the eyes of the inexperienced firefighters.

“Some of them seemed a little scared when we rolled out there, but it’s my job to take care of them and make sure they don’t get hurt,” he said.
Valley News