Hayden Hardt-Zeman, Gilpin County.  The hamburgers, hot dogs and brats sizzled on the hot grill. The dessert table seemed endless. Cold beer chilled in a nearby keg. Live music poured over the patio.

Dinner was just $8 for BBQ right off the grill. Cold beer for $5 complimented it well. Tasty dessert was $4. It was very good food all around. Timberline Fire started this cadet program twenty years ago.

The Academy in February is for adults. Several of our founding fathers including Washington, Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin were fire fighters!

Timberline fire Protection District began in 2011, through a merger of High Country Fire Department and Colorado Sierra Fire Department. These departments served the majority of Gilpin County and a small portion of Boulder County. They merged into one department to better serve the citizens of Gilpin and Boulder.

Timberline has 10 stations at this time, with approximately 70 members on the membership roster. According to firefighter Chip Smith, "there have been hundreds of people who have volunteered their time, talents, and energies to protect our community from any type of emergency need".

Timberline responders are on call at every moment. That's 24/7 - 365 days of the year. They respond in any type of weather. They will respond during any meal, television sporting event, or holiday.

Timberline has a part time paid professional Fire Chief - Paul Ondr, a part time paid professional Training Coordinator - Mark Williams, and a full time paid Business Manager - Jennifer Hinderman.

Their equipment includes 4 engines, 2 water tenders, 4 utility trucks, 3 brush trucks, a UTV, and 2 command vehicles.

Timberline Fire Department is a very nice and responsible group of people that take exceptional care of our community.

For more information about Timberline Fire check out their website at www.timberlinefire.com.