Colorado's Heart Award - Statewide Winner Dan Burnett

A Legacy of Rescue

REALTOR® Dan Burnett has been saving lives in the Colorado backcountry for decades.

The Colorado mountains are home to some of the most breathtaking scenery and heartpounding outdoor recreation opportunities in the world. Year round, millions of locals and visitors alike venture out into Colorado’s backcountry to ski, snowboard, climb, fish, hike and more. Most will return with an adventure story and some incredible pictures, but occasionally the adventure turns into an emergency. When that happens, REALTOR® Dan Burnett and the team of highly-trained backcountry rescue experts that serve on the Summit County Rescue Group mobilize to help.

“Being a REALTOR®, and having a flexible schedule, has allowed me the freedom to be available at a moment’s notice when emergency calls come through,” said Burnett. “It is very rewarding to explain to clients the situation and have their understanding and support as well, especially when I have to leave them with sirens wailing.” When Burnett says, “at a moment’s notice,” he means it: the Summit County Rescue Group is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and has responded to more than 4,500 missions since its inception in 1972.

Burnett serves as one of ten Mission Coordinators who lead 65 active Summit County Rescue Group members. He is the longest serving team member. “Dan has saved countless lives over the years by being part of the teams: organizing and running the search teams and coordinating search operations in the field to bring the injured and lost home safely,” said colleague Samantha Meister, who has worked alongside Burnett at Summit Resort Group for 13 years. “He has worked plane crashes, searched for lost hikers, skiers, hunters and children [and] he has helped bring out injured people from the deep backcountry.”

The work is fulfilling, but difficult. “It is rewarding to save multiple lives in a year [and] to bring closure and help to families of people who have died in mountain accidents,” shared Burnett. However, “Post-Traumatic Stress is a real factor,” Burnett said. “Having great support from Patti, my wife; my family; rescue team members and mental health professionals helps a lot. Being allowed to hang out and participate with real-life superheroes (mountain rescue volunteers) is giant motivation and keeps me coming back year after year.”

It's not just the schedule that can be challenging. Summit County Rescue Group members are required to have current CPR and First Aid certifications, and a large portion of the team is EMT certified. The team trains extensively and must recertify in multiple search and rescue disciplines every five years. “One of the biggest challenges is always to keep up on skills, equipment maintenance and prep, and simply being physically ready,” Burnett said, adding, “It is funny…people expect a better than average looking person to arrive on the scene to save them, and then I walk out of the woods, or drop down from a helicopter. In the end, they are very happy to be safe and get the immediate care they need from our amazing team.”

That team spends countless hours each year performing outreach in the community: teaching avalanche rescue skills, environmental sustainability practices, emergency medical skills classes and backcountry preparation classes. They also host the premier avalanche rescue seminar for rescue teams across the state – and have for 45 years.

For all the teaching that Burnett has done in the community, he’s learned some important lessons as well:

“Storms can be weathered and survived,” he advised, “even in times of crushing scrutiny or when retired team members pass away because of old age. Through my faith and my family…these storms, too, will pass.”