Southwest Incident Management Team

09/25/2026

It was great to get some of the band back together at the 2026 Colorado Incident Management Team Conference! The second day featured a productive and thought-provoking tabletop exercise that sparked some really great conversations. Thank you to Karen Dickson, Drew Petersen, and the rest of COEmergency for hosting this valuable event!

09/22/2026

Great update from Chief David Vitwar this morning!

Risk Management & Wellness Chief David Vitwar provided an agency update at the 2026 Colorado Incident Management Team Conference in Grand Junction. Team Colorado, the DFPC-sponsored Incident Management Team (IMT), responded to seven incidents this summer, starting with the Schwachheim Fire in April, the Aspen Acres Fire in June, and finished the summer with four fires in northwest Colorado. In total, the Team spent 32 days in command of fires across the state (40 days total with travel).

09/22/2026

Members of Colorado’s Southwest IMT are participating in the first day of the Colorado IMT Conference in Grand Junction!

11/16/2025

Thank you to the County of Montrose for welcoming the Southwest Incident Management Team this week and for hosting the Montrose Earthquake Exercise. The partnership, support, and local expertise provided by county leadership, emergency management, and participating agencies made this a valuable and realistic training environment for our team.
Throughout the exercise, SWIMT members worked through complex scenarios that included widespread earthquake damage, utility failures, mass evacuation needs, hazardous materials, and medical surge challenges. These sessions allowed us to strengthen our coordination, refine our plans, and practice decision-making under pressure.
Training together in the communities we serve helps us build strong relationships and ensures we are better prepared to support real-world incidents across the region. We are grateful for the opportunity to learn, collaborate, and improve our readiness.
Thank you again, Montrose County. It has been an honor to train with you.

11/03/2024

Another fantastic team exercise complete! Thank you to everyone who participated in the "Jackson Gulch Dam Failure" hosted by the Montezuma County Emergency Operations Center and the Mancos Volunteer Fire Department. As always, it was an opportunity for training, experience, networking, task book completion, and a good time with our IMT family. A special shout out to Lori and the planning team for all their hard work!

09/19/2024

We had a smaller group at the Colorado Incident Management Team Conference this year, but it was so good to see everyone from all the teams!

02/08/2024

SWIMT members are back at Colorado Wildland Fire & Incident Management Academy in Colorado Springs increasing their skills and knowledge, and teaching up and coming incident managers.

01/23/2024

SWIMT workshop taking place in La Plata county to improve team dynamics, identify training needs, review team activities in 2023, and plan for the year ahead. Thanks to La Plata County Government for hosting us!

01/12/2024

The SWIMT was able to send 11 members to this winter's Academy in Colorado Springs to continue developing their education and skills. Thank you, Colorado Wildland Fire & Incident Management Academy for 30 years of providing excellent training and education opportunities in wildland fire and incident management.

12/22/2023

Merry Christmas from the SWIMT family! We wish you and yours all the best this year!