Jacqueline Hart, Gilpin County.  The regular monthly board meeting for Timberline Fire Department came to order at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, January 22, at station #7 located at 660 Highway 119 in Black Hawk. The meeting commenced in the usual way with the pledge of allegiance, a moment of silent prayer for all emergency responders, and roll call. All board members were in attendance, except Doug Lupo, who was out sick and excused.

The minutes from the previous month’s meeting, held December 12, 2018, and the last treasurer’s report for 2018, were reviewed by the board and approved. President Smith moved to adopt a resolution presented to the board to maintain reserves in the general fund. The resolution states a general fund reserve is to be maintained within the general fund of no less than $500,000. According to the resolution, these funds are to be maintained in reserve, and can only be appropriated in cases of emergency, with the approval of the TFPD Board of Directors. The reserve is to be maintained for the year 2019 and all future years. After brief discussion, including mention that the resolution can be revisited in a year or two if necessary, the resolution passed unanimously.

In Chief Ondr’s report it was reported that TFPD responded to 44 calls in December and a total of 701 calls total in 2018. The previous year, 2017, yielded a total of 724 calls. There were two significant calls on Christmas night, prompting a debriefing on December 26, 2018 for most of the staff involved. The purpose of the debriefing was primarily to check in and see how all were coping following the tragedy in Dory Lakes on Christmas night. A post incident analysis on January 17, 2019 held to review strategy tactics, revealed that despite the outcome, the incident was handled appropriately, and the work done was thorough. Additionally, the partner participation was positive.

The new auto aid with Golden Gate Fire has begun. There are still some bugs to work out, and growing pains to overcome, on the Jeffcom side.

Gilpin County Dispatch is tasked with working on the communication change on the TFPD side. Currently, TFPD is not receiving requests to aid GGFPD, and GGFPD is receiving requests to assist TFPD. Dispatch has reported they are working on the issue.

Due to significant growth in the department, there are some vacancies and new positions have been created in the department for the coming year. Vacant positions include; Station Lt. for 5 stations, two deputy chief positions, and two seasonal positions in operations. Lt. Kropf resigned on January 7, 2019 and his position will be posted with the new title, deputy chief of volunteer services. The two positions added for 2019 include; Wildlife Division Captain Mike Keil and Training Division Captain Mark Williams. Job descriptions will be updated.

The chief’s equipment update included a donation of equipment to Hugo Fire. Additionally, the chief reported that many departments are functioning solely on donations. For example, wildland gear is jeans and a t shirt and often equipment necessary to facilitate a rescue is not available. The chief reported that the Hugo department was grateful for what TFPD was able to give. Engine 55 has been in town for repairs, where it remains, unrepaired. Security cameras have been installed at station #5. New phone hardware was installed at HQ, as necessary due to the old system’s incompatibility with current technology.

Training Captain Williams reported to the board an intention to pull together a volunteer squad of training instructors, from existing and experienced volunteers. The purpose of the trainer positions, Williams reported, is to facilitate consistency and to take over some existing assignments. Fire 1 Academy begins February 23, 2019, with 9 participant volunteers, and will continue for five months. On January 29, a mental health resiliency training will be held to advise volunteers about EEAP and other resources available to them. Mental health resources are available equally to the families and anyone living with the firefighter. The training will include information about therapy and what to expect, as well.

Captain Keil’s Wildland Report included strategic planning to facilitate a safe and successful season and continued learning from experiences and mistakes. A formal application process is ongoing for members who want to deploy to wildland fires. Those who apply will be required to complete additional trainings. Keil reported that the goal is a clearly defined deployment crew that addresses the crew’s availability. Training requirements for these crews include a Wildland Firefighting online course with an additional two days of field experience to meet the requirement for a red card, an annual refresher course including 1 classroom day and two days of field exercises as well as a class addressing management and leadership. The equipment update included the intention to refurbish existing truck, B53, for deployment while maintaining use for district and mutual aid. Five Bendix King Radios have been refurbished for service. One of the radios was added to the B53, as it did not have a functioning radio last year.

If you are interested in volunteer opportunities with TFPD go to www.Colorado.gov/Timberlinefire

(Originally published in the January 31, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)