Taking an oath to protect community: John Bushey, Rick Wenzel, and Mary Kate McKenna recite the official Oaths of Office for being re-elected to the Timberline Fire Protection’s District Board of Directors on May 25, 2023. PHOTO BY MINDY LEARY[/caption]

At approximately 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, 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, Chief Chris Schimanskey, and Administrative Chief Jennifer Hinderman. Treasurer Whitney Donoghue was absent, but excused. Highlights of the meeting included the directors taking their Oaths of Office, the selection of board positions, and the Chief’s Report.

Ondr added an item to the consent agenda concerning a temporary firefighter position. There were no conflicts of interest. The regular meeting minutes from April 19, 2023, were approved with all in favor.

Hinderman administered the Oaths of Office to Wenzel, Bushey, and McKenna, who were recently reelected to the Board. Each will serve a four-year term ending in 2027.

Next on the agenda was the selection of board positions. The Board of Directors discussed all the roles involved in the board and no one contested the roles previously assigned. A motion was made to have Wenzel as President, Bushey as Vice President, Donoghue as Treasurer, and McKenna and Carder as Members at Large.

The next item of new business included an IGA (Intergovernmental Agreement) with Golden Gate Fire Protection District on the recruitment and retention of the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) Grant. Ondr explained the IGA just states that they will continue to work together and reimburse each other for any services rendered.

Bushey made a motion to approve the IGA, McKenna seconded, and the motion carried 4-0.

Next the Board discussed the Chief’s Annual Review. They decided to form a committee of two to come up with survey questions and then discuss the results at a workshop in July to discuss the Chief’s Annual Review. At the September meeting, they will review the financials, survey results, and recommendations for the Chief’s salary.

Old Business included a discussion of the new fire engines. Two of the three engines have issues and will return in the first half of July. Brush trucks have returned.

During the Chief’s report, Ondr reported that TFPD responded to 49 calls in April. Average response time district-wide was 10 minutes 21 seconds.

The department has taken the Ford Explorer out of service due to needing almost $5,000 in repairs, namely steering, suspension, and tires. The vehicle is at about 160,000 miles and will be officially disposed of in an eventual auction.

The 1998 4-Runner will be placed at Murphy’s Garage and will be shared by TFPD and Nederland Fire. This vehicle was donated to the district several years ago. It will be used to assist both districts in efficiently shuttling vehicles for repairs and maintenance. Nederland will carry their own insurance while using it.

In Wildland/Mitigation News, TFPD received a Federal Fire and Prevention Safety grant funding the majority of the Mitigation Coordinator position for one year.

The brush truck is currently listed as available for deployment. There is quite a bit of private mitigation work scheduled. The department received $100,000 in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds to purchase a new chipper and a used truck.

In Administration News, the department was not awarded the Historic Preservation grant for the roof, but will improve the grant and reapply in October.

Wenzel asked if there was a contingency plan in place if the grant is not awarded. Ondr responded that the plan was to apply for grants this year, but budget it for next year if unawarded.

The 2022 audit will take place June 12 and 13.

Ondr said they have broken down all the department policies versus board policies and have been reorganizing. A draft will be ready for discussion at the July workshop.

TFPD is required to file an updated district map annually with DOLA, the County Assessor and the County Clerk. Ondr is working with the county GIS company to obtain an accurate map, which changes with every annexation.

They will be holding interviews for new firefighters in July with an August onboarding and start date.

In Training News, the department is redesigning the low-angle rope and backcountry rescue training programs to account for increased responsibilities to augment current department capabilities.

New engine familiarization and qualification task books are in final draft form and will be distributed in early June.

Finally, Ondr submitted his addition to the consent agenda concerning adding a position to the department of temporary firefighter. Currently, TFPD has three shift lieutenants and two firefighters who provide 24/7 coverage. They work a 48/96 shift schedule which provides significant benefit to the community.

In some cases, so far sixteen percent of this year, the staffed engine had to respond to a call with only one person arriving first on scene. Ondr seeks to fill the personnel gap from Thursday to Sunday with the new position.

Ondr stated, “This addition of the third firefighter would, in fact, augment the District’s ability to support additional volunteer staffing both at Station 5 and around the district.” The temporary position will cost approximately $25,000 and would come from unspent budget funds.

Schimanskey stressed how important he thinks the position is for safety concerns to fill this third firefighter position. He cited how it is very helpful to have two firefighters bring both a vehicle and a fire truck to a call, with the vehicle checking out a remote area before the fire truck ventures into an unknown road or driveway.

McKenna made a motion to hire a temporary firefighter. Carder seconded. Motion carried 3-0 with Bushey abstaining.

During public comment, Commissioner Sandy Hollingsworth thanked the Board for all their collaborations with the County.

The meeting adjourned at 8:01 p.m.

The next regular Board meeting and Pension Board Meeting for Timberline Fire Protection District will be held on Tuesday June 13, 2023, at 6 p.m. at Station 1 located at 5927 Magnolia Road, Nederland, Colorado 80466 with an Open House from 4-6 p.m.