AZTEC – First responders and volunteers for the fire department in San Juan County will soon wear new uniforms designed with new logos and patches to display a name that better suits the duties of the department.

According to county spokesman Devin Neeley, 2021 is the 20th anniversary of the consolidated fire service in San Juan County.

“We are proud to continue the proud heritage of service that each individual district started, as far back as the 1950s,” Neeley said.

The new name of the department will be San Juan County Fire and Rescue, which was chosen “to better reflect the true nature of service to the county.” The previous name was San Juan County Fire Department.

“Volunteers and staff respond to fire calls, but up to 84% of the time, those calls are of a ‘rescue’ nature for citizens in need of medical attention or other services,” Neeley said in a news release.

Rescue calls consist of anything that isn’t a fire. Some of those rescue calls include things like medical calls, car crashes, water rescue, high-angle rescue and others that aren’t fire-related.

“While (the department) isn’t the primary medical response in the county, San Juan County Fire and Rescue responds with San Juan Regional EMS, and often provides support before an ambulance arrives,” Neeley said in an email Wednesday.

“The men and women serving San Juan County are all trained in a variety of disciplines,” said San Juan County Fire Chief John Mohler. “Reflecting the diversity of service we provide in the name of our organization is extremely valuable.”

The change of the logo and rebrand of the department will take place gradually over the next five years, according to the release and will have a “minimal” cost.

“One thing that won’t change is the dedication of volunteers and staff to respond to emergencies in San Juan County,” Neeley said.

mmitchell@durangoherald.com