NEDERLAND — The Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD) Board of Directors met on Wednesday, January 21, to receive an update regarding the Nederland Community Center’s compliance issues, which has resulted in a call for action before the Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT). 

Community Center / post office compliance

During the NFPD Board’s previous meeting on December 10, Fire Marshal Andrew Joslin reported he had been working with the Town on drafting a timeline to tackle compliance issues with the Nederland Community Center’s West Wing. The wing lacks fire alarms and fire suppression and has issues with blocked egress routes.

During a January 20 meeting, Trustees officially agreed that the best option for the wing was to attempt to fully remodel the space and come into full compliance with fire and safety regulations.  The Town has considered pursuing an Energy and Impact Assistance Fund grant from the Department of Local Affairs to fund the renovation.

"Clean-out and reorganization efforts have begun,” Joslin reported on January 21, with a dumpster already having been dropped off at the west parking lot. 

Nederland’s post office at 350 East Street was also found to have outstanding issues, including deficient fire alarm systems and a disabled fire sprinkler. Joslin updated the Board that two of four issues—all of which were addressed with the local Postmaster—are currently being worked on. 

Hot Work 

Joslin’s report noted an increased emphasis on enforcing Hot Work permit requirements due to this winter’s exceptionally dry and windy conditions. A Hot Work permit is for the authorization to perform certain activities that generate heat, sparks, or flames, such as welding, grinding, and soldering. 

Hot Work permit compliance will be logged in an automated system that will send automatic notifications to permit holders when weather alerts call for any work to cease. 

Job opening

The NFPD has put out notice of an open job position for a Wildland Coordinator and Mitigation Specialist. The position will “pay for itself" through deployment with a District fire engine, and through creating and running the department’s mitigation program.

The starting salary is $75,000, with full pension and benefits being offered. Applications will be accepted to February 20. 

Those interested in this position can learn more and apply at nfpd.org/careers. 

Chief’s report

The District has received 58 calls since the Board’s last meeting in December. Additionally, the NFPD provided mutual aid to several nearby agencies to fight wildland fires in Coal Creek and off South Beaver Road. 

Chief Charlie Schmidtmann’s monthly report to the Board noted that the NFPD had assisted Timberline Fire Protection District by providing their fire engine during several calls. Schmidtmann also thanked Sugarloaf Fire for covering the District so that NFPD personnel could enjoy their annual Holiday Party. 

Delayed reimbursement

Schmidtmann also discussed with the Board potential changes to the District’s deployment policy in order to address ongoing reimbursement issues from the state of Colorado, an issue which has left the NFPD short $35,000 for services conducted up to six months ago. 

The District has not received any explanation for the delayed reimbursements from the state. Other local districts, such as Timberline, are also still owed thousands of dollars in funds, with Left Hand Fire being “in the hole” $1.4 million, according to Schmidtmann.

The Board discussed either keeping a reserve in the budget in preparation for unpaid debt from the state, to cap the amount of resources the District is willing to provide, or to stop providing resources overall.   

Ultimately, the decision was made to stick with the District’s current policy while keeping a close look on the finances involved with each request for deployment and making decisions on a case-by-case basis. 

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, February 18, 2026, at 7 p.m. 

For more information go to nfpd.org.