At approximately 6 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, Timberline Fire Protection District (TFPD) held their monthly board meeting at Station 3, located at 19126 Highway 119, Black Hawk.

President Rick Wenzel, Vice President John Bushey, Member at Large John Carder, and Member at Large Mary Kate McKenna attended the meeting as well as Fire Chief Paul Ondr and Administrative Chief Jennifer Hinderman. Member at Large Whitney Donoghue was marked absent. Highlights of the meeting included progress reports for Virginia Canyon Station 9 and Fritz Peak Observatory Station 3, and the Chief’s Report.

Chief Hinderman presented the unaudited financials for January 2023. Hinderman said that there is not a lot of tax revenue for December. Wenzel questioned why the budget of $1,000 for radios went over by $6,447.60. Ondr responded that he hopes that some of the purchase will be grant-funded.

There was no new business.

Old Business included the completed DFPC (Department of Fire Control and Prevention) Contract/Lease agreement for Station 4, located at 448 Pine Drive, Black Hawk. Chief Ondr said that TFPD will continue to pay for the water, sewer, and internet. TFPD is renting the station for a comparable price for the region.

Chief Ondr reported on the progress at Station 9 at Virginia Canyon. Concrete will be poured next week depending on the weather. Ondr said that they are about $16,000 over budget with a $40,000 contingency, and sought approval from the board for flooring by next month. President Wenzel expressed concern over the cold weather impeding the concrete build. The board decided to have Ondr confer with the contractors to get more details on the flooring.

Chief Ondr reported that the septic system is complete for Station 3, Fritz Peak Observatory. The elevator is complete as well. Topsoil and re-grading will wait until the spring thaw. The total roof cost is about $75,000, with about $10,000 in asbestos mitigation. Ondr intends to seek $50,000 through grant funding. As of Monday, February 20, the administrative offices will be moved in.

During the Chief’s report, Ondr reported that TFPD responded to 59 calls in January.

TFPD responded to a train fire in Rollinsville on February 1, with a response time of 10 minutes and 18 seconds. Response vehicles included three water tenders, four fire engines, two wildland trucks, one ambulance, and multiple support vehicles. A total of 22 firefighters arrived on scene.

The firefighters hit the emergency stop on the rear locomotive engine which brought the flames down to three feet from thirty feet. The train was westbound and had stopped to let the Amtrak pass. Union Pacific was unaware of the oil being blown into the exhaust. The fire had also been reported crossing South Beaver. Gilpin dispatch did an excellent job contacting Union Pacific during the emergency.

In Wildland/Mitigation news, grant-funded equipment for new brush trucks has been ordered. TFPD is finalizing the county roadside mitigation projects for this year. Highway 46 Phase Two, a joint project with United Power, is waiting on a CDOT permit which they hope to have soon. Boulder County Watershed Collective submitted a $253,000 grant for 73 acres of mitigation work in the Porter Ranch area, and if successful, Timberline will be involved in the work.

In Administration news, district offices will move to Station 3 on Monday, February 20. New firefighting onboarding starts next month. Class will consist of five 8-hour sessions.

TFPD’s application for the state historical grant for Station 3 was approved.

A radio grant with ten other Boulder County departments was submitted. TFPD asked for 13 field-programmable VHF radios and 20 handhelds.

In Training news, wildland training has begun.The L-280 Followership to Leadership, a required class for those looking to advance their wildland qualification, is scheduled for later this month.

In May, TFPD will hold a basic wildland academy and the courses will be multi-agency with NFPD (Nederland Fire Protection District) and GGFPD (Golden Gate Fire Protection District) students and instructors.

TFPD hosted the first joint training with Nederland Fire this past weekend. The subject was forcible entry techniques, with TFPD teaching conventional and NFPD teaching rescue saws. Timberline had nine members and Ned had 14 in attendance. They are planning to do these joint training events at least quarterly and will rotate subjects and locations.

The partnership with UC Health continues to improve TFPD’s ability to create and execute their own EMS training on a more frequent and consistent basis when compared to prior hospital affiliations.

Meeting adjourned at approximately 8 p.m.

The next regular Board meeting for Timberline Fire Protection District will be held on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at 6 p.m. at Fritz Peak building, 19126 Highway 119, Black Hawk, Colorado 80422.