NEDERLAND - The Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD) Board of Directors met on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, to review the calls of significance over the last month, schedule the Fire Chief’s evaluation, and vote on reactivating the Auxiliary arm of the NFPD. 

A new Auxiliary?

Auxiliaries traditionally support firefighters through volunteer-driven efforts, including fundraising and providing food and water to firefighters on scene. The NFPD previously had an active auxiliary led by a Board member, though the group dissolved when that member resigned. 

The Board discussed utilizing the funds in the previous auxiliary’s account to begin the process of making the new auxiliary an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit that could provide community outreach for the NFPD. This might include collaborating with local businesses to create fundraising opportunities.

After analyzing how other similar auxiliaries operate, the board suggested to District Administrator Sherry Snyder to have the person leading NFPD’s auxiliary look to the Nederland Community Library Foundation as a model for a successful operational structure. The board then voted unanimously to approve reactivating the Auxiliary. 

Chief’s report

NFPD Fire Chief Charlie Schmidtmann delivered his monthly report, which stated that District firefighters and EMS personnel responded to a total of 262 calls for the year, with 63 calls having occurred since the Board’s last meeting on July 16, 2025.  

Despite all of Western Boulder County, which includes the Town of Nederland, being under Stage 1 Fire Restrictions, Schmidtmann noted that 14 of the 63 calls since mid-July were for illegal campfires in the area, and added that, if the District fails to see any moisture soon, Stage 2 Fire Restrictions may be enacted. 

Firefighters responded to a wildland fire off 4th of July Road, a mild structure fire at the Boulder Creek Lodge, and a car fire on Boulder Canyon Drive. There were also two vehicle rollover accidents in Boulder Canyon.

The District also responded to two different motorcycle crashes, as well as a high speed collision at the Caribou Village Shopping Center that involved three cars.  

District personnel answered four different emergency calls into backcountry, including a patient suffering a seizure at Rainbow Lakes, a person suffering from a self-inflicted axe injury at Devil’s Thumb Lake, an injured hiker at North Boulder Creek, and a hiker who fell on the 4th of July trail. 

Personnel also attended to a patient having a stroke, administered Narcan to help stabilize a person suffering a drug overdose, and collaborated with local law enforcement agencies to attend to a suicide at Boulder Falls.

NFPD firefighters were deployed to assist with fires in California and with the Lee fire, which burned over 137,000 acres near Meeker. For deployment of the firefighters and use of vehicles and equipment, the District earned over $25,000. 

Vehicle issues

Schmidtmann also reported that all of their vehicles’ fire pumps have been tested and that only two pumps failed and require repairs. Schmidtmann was confident that the two pumps could be made operational, though he noted that their original fire engine’s issues may take longer to address due to the spare parts for the model being rare to source.  

The board also heard updates on two of the District’s newest vehicles, including their new fire engine, which is expected to arrive on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, after its ladder racks are repaired to function properly.

The new ambulance should be getting parts installed for the mounting of a stretcher; once these are installed, the ambulance will be ready for service.

There was also a brief discussion on donating the District’s old ambulance to the Indian Peaks Fire Protection District. 

Training

In regard to the advanced training being created and conducted by NFPD personnel, Captain Glen Wheelock was noted for having started a driver training program to ensure that all firefighters can operate the District’s many vehicles. 

Captain Wheelock was also congratulated by Chief Schmidtmann and the board for having passed the state certification for Fire Instructor 2. 

Captain Conor Moran taught a Rapid Intervention Team course, which focused on providing search and rescue assistance to firefighters.

Captain Moran’s efforts in managing the District’s EMS was also highlighted in the Chief’s monthly report, which included training the NFPD command staff on the new ambulance’s operations, distributing Narcan kits to frontline staff and naloxone education to the community, and drafting the 2026 budgets for the EMS Division and the District’s EMT Program.  

Fire Marshal’s report

The Board reviewed Fire Marshal Andrew Joslin’s monthly report for updates on recent building inspections and on the Nederland Board of Trustees’ (BOT) adopting the 2024 International Fire Code (IFC). 

Joslin inspected the woodshop at Nederland Middle Senior High School and approved the new safety features required for its reopening. He also did a preliminary inspection of the worksite for the New Explorers Learning Center being constructed at 750 West 5th Street, where it was established that the construction will require the installation of a new hydrant and a water main extension. 

The locations of new fire hydrants to be installed at the Nederland Community Center were also finalized, and the sprinkler plans for the new Wild Bear Nature Center were approved, with a review of the Center’s alarm and other safety systems to commence at a later date. 

Joslin has been reviewing draft amendments to the Town of Nederland’s fire code, along with Town officials, in order to adopt the 2024 IFC.

The amendments have been completed and sent to the BOT, to Boulder County’s Chief Building Official, and to the Boulder County Fire Code Review Committee for review, as well as to the NFPD Board of Directions for a vote on adoption at their next meeting. 

Chief’s evaluation

The matter of Schmidtmann’s performance evaluation was discussed by the Board, with a timeline established that involves sending questionnaires to District members and staff, which, once completed, will be gathered and sent to the Chief for review prior to him conducting a self-evaluation.

The Board plans to hold a special executive session after their October meeting to conduct Chief Schmidtmann’s evaluation.

New inclusion in the District

The Board also briefly reviewed the language for a public notice to be issued for an upcoming public hearing on the Shady Hollow subdivision’s inclusion into the District. 

Shady Hollow is the neighborhood located off Ridge Road, northeast of Nederland; Shady Hollow’s inclusion into the District will provide the residents with all the emergency services that the NFPD offers, as well as provide additional tax revenue to the NFPD. 

District personnel have been doing outreach to Shady Hollow residents over the past few months, verifying addresses and gathering signatures for the petition required to begin the inclusion process. 

The Board plans to hold the public hearing during their next meeting, on September 17, during which there will be a vote on whether to approve the petition for the inclusion.

If approved, a Board Order of Inclusion will be adopted and signed and filed with the court, who will then issue a Court Order of Inclusion which will be recorded in the real property records for the Shady Hollow properties. 

The Nederland Fire Protection District Board of Directors meets on the third Wednesday of every month. Meetings can be attended online via Microsoft Teams. Their next meeting will be on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at 7 p.m. 

For more information go to: https://www.nfpd.org.