A Colorado mountain community that sees millions of visitors each year is now warning the public that help could take longer to arrive if you need it. Clear Creek County EMS has begun posting "staffing status" alerts on social media, letting residents and tourists alike know when emergency response levels are stretched thin. The simple red-yellow-green chart shows when crews are fully staffed, and when they're close to their limit.

Clear Creek County

Interim County Manager Colton Rohloff said the strain comes from a combination of geography, growth and limited resources.

"The situation in this county is pretty unique," Rohloff said. "We are technically part of the Denver metro area, but we haven't grown population-wise in 20 years. We're 75% public land, we get around 10 million visitor

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