GILPIN COUNTY – The Timberline Fire Protection District board met October 8 at Station 3 in Mid-Gilpin County, where members took a short tour of the construction site before settling in for their regular meeting. 

Despite some setbacks, Chief Paul Ondr said the Station 3 bay addition is moving ahead steadily. “We are probably two and a half, three weeks behind where we wanted to be," he said, "but that’s OK. We’re still making progress." 

Station 3’s bay addition project has been in progress since late spring 2024, following years of planning and grant approvals. The expansion, managed by KCI Construction with designs from Arete Architects, will add new apparatus bays, storage, and updated infrastructure to support Timberline’s growing call volume and volunteer force.

The prefabricated building, expected to arrive October 26, will go up soon after, though the excavation of the rocky hillside has proved challenging.

“The rock was tougher [than expected],” Ondr said. But soon, the concrete footers will be poured and the walls formed.

The board discussed complications caused by the ongoing federal government shutdown—a pitfall for many agencies that rely on federal funding. The shutdown is causing further delay with their USDA grant.

“Hopefully, the government opens before our funding runs out,” said Administrative Chief Jennifer Hinderman.

Hinderman added that communication gaps and shifting USDA staff had slowed paperwork and approvals, forcing Timberline to front some payments until federal funds are released. “We were mid-struggles with them to begin with,” Ondr said with a sigh. 

The board scheduled two budget workshops for November 4 and November 24 from 3 to 5 p.m., ahead of the public hearing and adoption of the 2026 budget on December 10 at 6 p.m. at Station 3.

TFPD received a letter of appreciation from longtime Gilpin Ambulance paramedic Dan Wall, who recently retired. In his note, Wall thanked Timberline’s paid and volunteer staff “for their support and assistance to me in my career,” adding that he had run most of his calls alongside Timberline firefighters and valued their commitment to respond, “day or night, good weather or bad.”

During new business, the board approved a three-year continuation of the internet lease with Backcountry Broadband for Station 8, with an additional $600-per-year reimbursement for electricity costs. 

Timberline crews handled 60 calls in September, and a new tender is now in service at Station 7.  (A fire tender, or "tender" for short, is a firefighting apparatus used to haul and supply water.)

Ondr’s report covered recent operations, unfortunate news, and maintenance updates. He reported that a firefighter’s wildland gear was stolen, valued at about $1,000. Another misfortune happened at Station 5. Its generator was destroyed when a truck hauling rock rolled on top of it, narrowly missing the station itself. Repair bids total about $14,000 for the generator and $1,500 for a new gas line.

Ondr said that the trucking company responsible for the incident would likely cover the costs rather than go through their insurance.

Additionally, two vehicles sustained hail damage on a call in August.

Ondr also explained that the heat at Station 3 has been turned off during construction because the propane tank needs to be relocated. He said the crew and staff have been managing without heat for now, but said, “I gave them a deadline—heat has to be back on by Halloween.”

And finally, in this random series of unfortunate events, the board heard that a repeat mitigation customer fell victim to wire fraud when scammers mimicked Timberline’s email address and asked for a wire transfer. The customer unwittingly obliged.

“It’s super unfortunate, but not uncommon,” Hinderman said.

The TFPD mitigation team would like to note that they never ask for payment up front. The case is under investigation by the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office.

Mitigation projects continue near Porter Ranch and county road corridors, with residential work resuming October 13. Timberline has applied for two major mitigation grants. The department is also applying for additional gear and equipment funding through multiple grant programs.

Recruitment remains strong, with 12 volunteers finishing onboarding on October 11 and about 28 new prospects interested for the spring of 2026. 

The next Timberline Fire Protection District meeting will be held November 11 at 6 p.m. at Station 3, 19126 Highway 119 in Black Hawk.