Summit County Citizens Voice

Capt. Brian Lyons, new commander of Colorado State Patrol Trook 6B, says his first priority is to build on the valuable partnerships his agency has established with local governments, and to keep traffic flowing smoothly through the mountains.

After eight years in Frisco, Capt. Ron Prater transfers to the Colorado State Patrol’s hazardous materials program in Denver, while Capt. Brian Lyons moves up from an accident reconstruction team post to take command of the area covering Summit and Clear Creek counties

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — After eight years leading Colorado State Patrol troop 6B in Summit and Clear Creek counties, Capt. Ron Prater has moved to Denver to work with the CSP’s hazmat program.

Incoming Capt. Brian Lyons took over command at the agency’s Frisco base Dec. 1, moving up from a Sergeant’s position with Troop 2C in Lamar, where he worked as a member of the accident reconstruction team.

Lyons started as a cadet with the Colorado State Patrol in 1996 and has been stationed mostly in southern Colorado since then, working out of Lamar, Cañon City and Pueblo.

“The biggest thing right now is meeting and greeting the community, and continuing the partnerships with local agencies,” Lyons said. “People up here work really well together toward a common goal; to make sure the traffic keeps flowing so people can get up here to enjoy Frisco and Breckenridge and the mountains,” he said.

Prater led the Summit and Clear Creek troop for eight years, and worked on the I-70 corridor in various capacities for a total of 15 years.

“I’ll still be working with stakeholders in Summit County,” Prater said, praising local officials and agencies for their professionalism during the years he was stationed here.

During the past few years, Prater worked with lawmakers from the local area to get chain-up areas for truckers built along I-70 in an effort to ease some of the highway congestion on snowy winter days. He also stepped up enforcement on the corridor, especially along the approaches to the twin tunnels.

Prater said his first order of business at his new Denver post is working on an internal audit of procedures for the hazmat unit.

Local hazmat issues

“Ron has always been great to work with in Summit County,” said Lake Dillon Fire Protection District Chief Dave Parmley.

Parmley said he’s confident that Prater understands the nature of what is at stake with hazardous materials transport in the mountain regions of the state and specifically along the I-70 corridor through Summit County and Highway 6 over Loveland Pass.

“There’s a lot of hazmat moving across these mountains every day,” Parmley said.

There is a significant human property and environmental risk associated with the transport of toxic, flammable and explosive materials, especially in areas where highways run close to dense residential and resort neighborhoods, as well as pristine high country streams, he explained.

“He (Prater) knows that, just because you go for a long time without an accident, it’s not a reason to let your guard down,” Parmley said.

He said public safety would benefit from a focus on up-front interaction with carriers of hazardous materials to make sure they’re aware of legal requirements and obligations.

Along with that preventive approach, Parmely said having a good response plan for accidents is critical.

Several recent rounds of truck enforcement inspections, especially along Highway 6 in Dillon, have revealed weaknesses in the enforcement area.

“They continue to find things like defective brakes and tires that maybe aren’t as good as they should be for transporting hazardous materials in the mountains and on snowy, icy roads,” Parmley said.

Click here for a link to the CSP’s hazmat program page.