Colfax paramedic appointed as interim director of the Colfax Rescue Squad
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INTERIM DIRECTOR — Chrystal Smith, a paramedic with the Colfax Rescue Squad, has been appointed as interim director of CRS following the resignation of Don Knutson. —photo submitted
By LeAnn R.Ralph
COLFAX — Chrystal Smith, a paramedic with the Colfax Rescue Squad, has been appointed as the interim director following the resignation of Don Knutson.
Knutson officially resigned as of January 1 and served the Colfax Rescue Squad for 34 years.
On January 2, Knutson started his new position as clerk-treasurer for the Village of Wheeler.
Smith has been with the Colfax Rescue Squad for two years and started in January of 2022.
“I decided to apply for interim director because this place has become my home since I began serving here. I have come to care about the safety and well-being of all of the people that reside within our service area,” Smith said.
The Colfax Rescue Squad is owned by the Village of Colfax, and eight other municipalities subscribe to the service: the Villages of Elk Mound and Wheeler and the Towns of Colfax, Elk Mound, Grant, Otter Creek, Tainter and Sand Creek.
Smith started working at the Colfax Rescue Squad shortly after she received her EMT basic license two years ago.
“Over the last two years, while simultaneously serving the Colfax Rescue Squad, I continued my education, and in August of (2023), I became licensed as a paramedic,” she said.
Smith, who has lived in Eau Claire for 16 years, has five children ages 13 (Anthony), 11 (Guiliana), 10 (Anabelle), 7 (Ezra) and 4 (Ella) as well as two dogs that are also a huge part of the family.
Smith grew up in what she describes as the tiny town of Proctor, Vermont, and lived there until she was 18 years old.
Proctor had a population of 1,763 in the 2020 census.
Colfax is listed as having a population of 1,105 in 2020.
Some of Smith’s family members have served in law enforcement, fire and EMS.
“They taught me a lot about the field,” she said.
“My aunt and uncle were both first responders for the Sandy Hook shooting many years ago. I decided to go into EMS to honor them and all of their hard work, and to give an outlet to my need to care for others,” Smith said.
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, when 26 people were killed. Twenty of the victims were children between the ages of six and seven years old, and the other six were adult staff members.
The strength of the Colfax Rescue Squad is the dedication to serve the community, Smith said.
“We are a family who strive to work together for the benefit of the communities we serve. We are constantly pushing to better our care for our patients, and will continue to strive to uphold Don’s motto of ‘Service Before Self,’” she said.
During her term as interim director of the Colfax Rescue Squad, Smith said she plans to continue the dedicated service to the community that was inspired by Knutson’s leadership.
“As interim director, I am hoping to continue to push the Colfax Rescue Squad forward. I want to continue Don’s desires to promote continuing education and continuing to provide the best care to our citizens,” she said.
In her spare time, Smith enjoys reading, video games, reading medical and science journals and “spending time with my kiddos.”
