Whether you’ve been injured in a car accident or suffered a medical emergency, some of the techniques paramedics used to save your life may be thanks to the service and expertise of Durango Fire Protection District Chief Dan Noonan.
The Colorado Senate issued a proclamation Wednesday honoring Noonan for his 20 years of service on the Governor’s State Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Advisory Council, about six of those as chairman. (The council was established 15 years ago, but Noonan served on its precursor for five years before its founding.)
Noonan was honored at a reception Wednesday night and at his final SEMTAC meeting Thursday for his contributions. Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, spearheaded the proclamation effort and also presented Noonan with a Colorado flag that had flown over the state Capitol.
“This group shapes everything pertaining to (emergency medical services) in the state,” said Mark Quick, fire training director for the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. “What they do to save your life if you have a car accident in the middle of nowhere or making it possible to give you morphine if a horse falls on you in the backcountry, that all comes from SEMTAC.”
The council includes 25 voting members appointed by the governor and seven nonvoting ex-oficio members. Noonan’s length of service, five terms, is unusual, but he was asked to stay on after completing his first two terms.
“It’s a major achievement for someone from Durango to have this kind of impact,” Quick said. “There are doctors and all kinds of people on this council who make big decisions that affect us all.”
Quick said Noonan’s experience on the council also has had a direct impact on local emergency services.
“This group also oversees and approves grants, and that’s how Durango Fire & Rescue got a lot of its ambulances,” he said. “That came from Dan understanding the granting process. He always recused himself from the votes, of course, but he’s been a real advocate for rural Colorado.”
abutler@durangoherald.com
