Davey J. Santistevan Jr.
Correspondent
The Chronicle-News

A respected community member, leader, family man and fire chief, is now retiring. Fishers Peak Fire Chief Dominic, “Buddy,” Curro is retiring after well over 40-years of service at the Fishers Peak Volunteer Fire Department.

There was a recent retirement party for Chief Curro held at Mt. Carmel with every seat filled to honor the long-time pillar of Trinidad and Las Animas County along side co-workers, friends and family.

“It’s been an honor to serve our great community and to see the Fishers Peak Volunteer Fire Department grow,” Curro said proudly with a smile. “I was blessed and as a 10-year-old kid my grandparents had a house in Jansen. It burned to the ground. There was no response to this fire, so I thought even as a kid that something needed to be done. It has to be better, so I got involved and residents in Jansen and the area got a petition together and took it before the Las Animas County Commissioners and with some work we started the volunteer fire department. This was something that was needed. Trinidad and it’s fire fighters did not come out and cover fires outside the city limits. So I knew something had to be done to protect county residents from fires.”

Curro then was part of a group in 1983 that, through an election, formed the first local fire district.

Curro said, “We were the first fire district in Las Animas County. Even though Stonewall and Spanish Peaks already had volunteer departments, through the 1983 election we were the first (district). Then, the other volunteer fire districts followed after. I am proud to have been part of this process.”

Back in 1979 Curro started his official run in firefighting when he showed his dedication and determination to help improve fire fighting in Las Animas County as a member of the fire fighting team.

Curro then served time on the Fishers Peak Fire Protection Board of Directors for five years in the mid 1980s. He was the backbone of the Fisher’s Peak Fire Department. Then, in the summer of 1999, he was promoted to Fishers Peak Fire Chief.

“It is great to see the progress, the communication and cooperation of the fire districts, volunteer fire department and city fire department to protect our citizens of Trinidad and Las Animas County,” said Curro.

“We have agreements with all of the departments. We have five districts now and two volunteer departments with in the county and of course the city too. We all help each other out and give assistance to one another when needed. This is a godsend and gives us the resources that we need to do our job. The agreements that are now in place give us the ability to protect our citizens.”

According to Curro, the Fishers Peak Fire Department has 16 Las Animas County volunteers with three fire stations across Starkville, the Santa Fe Trail Ranches and one north of Trinidad, out by Maniscalos’s and the city dump.

Those stations cover 120 miles across Las Animas County.

Curro talked about some of the fires that he and his fellow fire fighters battled.

“The Track Fire was a tough one for us,” said Curro. “I believed back in 2011 it burned over 26,000 acres. It started in the Raton, New Mexico, area and just came over Raton Pass.

“The Track Fire threatened many homes on the Colorado side which included coming within a mile, or so, to the Santa Fe Trail Ranches. This was a big possible threat to many ranches and homes in this area.”

Curro continued, “The fire on Fishers Peak was another one that I remember. It was a tough one for many reasons, but my wife was injured. She was a volunteer and that one hit close to home for me.”

Curro is proud to have been with the department from the start. “We started with nothing. We had no land, no buildings. The truck we had at the start, we bought and we keep them plugged in to keep from freezing in the winter. We worked together to get the land out in Starkville and put up the building there.

“These are some of my fondest memories. Now the Starkville Station is a good place to work out of. We are like a family away from home. So when someone leaves, or gets let go, it was tough for me cause we are so close and you hate to see anyone leave. So those are some of my memories that I take with me.”

Curro Served on the Fishers Peak Board from the mid 1980s to 2007.

“I learned so much over the years,” Curro said. “C.K. Morey, who was with the Colorado Forest Service and Lloyd Holloman, chief of Stonewall Fire Department, these two probably taught me the most. I learned a lot from them. So they are my biggest influences. They both were hands on instructors. I learned more watching and listening to both of them than any classes I took.”

Curro concluded, “There are so many I would like to thank. So, I just want to thank everyone that was associated with the department at Fishers Peak Fire Protection District. Our board, which is one of the best boards around, right now we are more financially stable than we have ever been. Thank you to all of our fire fighters who protect our community. We have turned into one of the best departments in the state. I want to thank my kids and my wife of 30 years, Donna, all of whom have supported me. Donna has been through tick and thin. She was a fire fighter at one time. She has supported me 100%. Thank you to everyone! I was honored to have served Las Animas County. Thank you!”