Trained in all aspects of emergency services, Lisa Pitts has expanded her reach to include injury prevention along with safety education about car seats for children.

Volunteer with Southwest Teller County EMS, Pitts, firefighter/EMT with a degree in justice, devotes her free time to public service when it comes to safety.  

In a district nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, so-called “flatlanders” can suffer the effects of going from low to high altitude. Hikers, especially, take needless chances and end up calling for help, Pitts said.

“They don’t bring their layers to add when they’re going up the trails,” she said. “Some wear flip flops.”

A former volunteer with Divide Fire Protection District, Pitts has adjusted her safety tips to meet conditions in southern Teller County – hikers wearing cowboy boots for trails and rock climbing, for instance.

“I rely on fire/EMS and law enforcement to tell me what they are seeing,” she said. 

From there, she developed a fact sheet with safety tips, available at the EMS office in Cripple Creek.

Pitts is also known around the county for her advocacy for effective car seats for children. A licensed child passenger safety technician, Pitts gives classes, speaks to nonprofit organizations and does individual consultations.

“I travel throughout the area to meet families where they are to make the car seat checks more accessible,” she said.

Pitts sis passionate about proper car seat use..

“She will pull the car over to ensure the child is restrained properly,” said Eric Murray, director of SWTCEMS, part of Teller County Health Services District.  “We will have one or two events for people who want to check car seats, which we will announce.”

A valuable resource for parents in Teller County, Pitts seems to be everywhere

“The police will call me, tell me what the issue is at the scene and if I need to bring a car seat or fix something there,” Pitts said, acknowledging that she is on call 24/7.  “We want to make sure our needs are met up here; we are a rural area.”

At the Teller County Sheriff’s Open House June 6, Pitts and her display of car seats, had a steady stream of people wanting to chat about safety.  

“She is very passionate about what she does,” Murray said.