Communications & Operations Specialist Cindy Howard, joined Fire Adapted Colorado in September of 2021, after summer deployments on the Tamarack and the Woods Creek, Balsinger, and American Fork Fires, as a PIO2. Prior to working as a Public Information Officer, Cindy served as the Custer County Emergency Manager from 2016 through June of 2019. During her EM tenure, the south-central region was impacted by the Hayden Pass, Beulah Hills, Junkins and Spring Creek fires, leading her away from all-hazards, to a focus on wildfire risk-reduction, alert and warning, and evacuation planning in her community. Cindy has also been a volunteer member of Custer County Search & Rescue since 2007 and a member of the Deer Mountain FPD Wildland Team, since 2019. She has a BA in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance, from Regis University.

When not working remotely from her mountain home near Westcliffe, Cindy deploys as a PIO, responds and trains with Custer County SAR, and enjoys hunting, hiking and climbing in the Pike San Isabel National Forest and Sangre de Cristo Wilderness.