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Timberline Fire: Black Hats awarded

Mindy Leary
Posted 3/25/23

At approximately 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, 2023, Timberline Fire Protection District (TFPD) held their monthly board meeting at Station 3, located at 19126 Highway 119, Black Hawk.

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Timberline Fire: Black Hats awarded

Posted

At approximately 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, 2023, Timberline Fire Protection District (TFPD) held their monthly board meeting at Station 3, located at 19126 Highway 119, Black Hawk.

Vice President John Bushey called the meeting to order. Member at Large John Carder attended in person. President Rick Wenzel and Member at Large Whitey Donoghue attended by phone. Member at Large Mary Kate McKenna was absent. Fire Chief Paul Ondr and Administrative Chief Jennifer Hinderman attended as well as several firefighters receiving their Black Hats. Highlights of the meeting included the presentation of Black Hats, a lease with the Gilpin Ambulance Authority (GAA), and the Chief’s Report.

Chief Ondr began his presentation with a reading of the National Firefighter Code of ethics, the purpose of which is to establish criteria that encourages fire service personnel to promote a culture of ethical integrity and high standards of professionalism in the field. This code of ethics was developed by the National Society of Executive Fire Offices and can be found at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/ downloads/pdf/code_ of_ ethics.pdf.

Black Hats were presented to Lt. Steve Geyer, Lt. Josh Colgan, Firefighter Hope Weaver, and Firefighter Chris Lovato. Weaver, Lovato, and Geyer recited the Timberline Oath, received their Black Hats, and signed the official papers. Colgan was unable to attend and will receive his Black Hat at another time.

There was no correspondence.

The Board then paused and convened as the Pension Board of Trustees at 6:19 p.m. Roll call revealed John Carder, John Bushey, and Chris Shimansky as physically present. President Rick Wenzel and Whitney Donoghue attended via phone.

Carder moved to approve the minutes of December 14. Shimansky seconded and all were in favor.

The Q4 Allocation Report revealed Timberline contributed $19,000 to the pension fund. State matching funds equaled $20,090. There was $172, 671 in unrealized losses.

The Board then reconvened back into their regular board meeting at 6:28 p.m.

The regular meeting minutes from February 15 were approved with a minor correction.

The special meeting minutes from March 2 were approved with all in favor.

There was no public comment.

The February 2023 Unaudited Financials were presented.

New business included a report from Chief Ondr on the Congressionally Directed Spending Grant, which would include a sprinkler system for Station 3 and possibly a generator.

Old business included the Station 7 GAA Lease Agreement between Timberline and GAA. The lease agreement will charge GAA $9.19 per square foot and the utility charges will now be their responsibility.

Carder moved to approve the lease agreement between TFPD and GAA ending December 31, 2024. Wenzel seconded. All were in favor and the agreement was approved with signature.

Chief Ondr reported on the progress at Station 9, Virginia Canyon. Excavation is complete and concrete will be installed soon. They received a change order of $13,000 due to additional hammer time, increased final wall height, engineering, and insulation. The contractor, Big Johnson Construction, would prefer to pour the floor and apron before the construction. All of these inclusive changes amount to approximately $16,000 over budget. There was a motion to approve the change order from Big Johnson Construction. Motion was seconded and all were in favor.

A new septic line has been installed and the septic tanks replaced at Station 3, the Observatory. The driveway/parking area will be complete in the Spring. Headquarters was moved from Station 7 to Station 3 on February 21, and signs were placed directing residents to the new Headquarters.

During the Chief’s report, Ondr reported that TFPD responded to 57 calls in February.

Five sets of gear were contaminated with engine oil during the train fire in February. They were soaked overnight and washed but still have petroleum contamination. Claims have been started with the insurance company to replace them.

In Wildland/Mitigation news, TFPD will be assisting USFS (United States Forest Service) with a prescribed fire at the end of Forest Service Road 359 in May.

United Power has obtained the permit for Highway 46 Phase Two. Public outreach will begin soon.

In Administration news, Gilpin ambulance has moved to Station 7, Headquarters has moved to Station 3.

New firefighter onboarding is underway, with classes every Saturday.

Congressionally Directed Funding application for Station 3 bay addition was submitted to the offices of Senators Hickenlooper and Bennet. Grants will also be submitted to Congressman Neguse by the end of the week. The total project estimate is 1.65 million.

The Historic Preservation Grant draft for the roof is due Monday, March 20; the final application will be submitted the first week of April.

In Training news, the Wildland Academy will run from April 15-29 and may host around two dozen students from TFPD, NFPD (Nederland Fire Department), GGFPD (Golden Gate Fire Department), Golden Gate Canyon State Park, and Boulder County. Instructors will be from multiple agencies.

Four TFPD members are attending the Nederland Fire EMR class which ends in early April.

Onboarding Academy started last weekend and runs through the first week of April. Classes are every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the Board of Directors are welcome to attend and meet the new recruits.

During public comment, High Country Auxiliary thanked Timberline for helping them move.

Scott Griffin brought forward a complaint against Timberline for not correcting his W-2 by the deadline and violating labor laws in not paying his per diem work in a timely manner. He also stated that Timberline has not reimbursed him for personal equipment purchases.

Bushey thanked him for his comment. The Board then tried to allocate the amount of monies desired and determined the personal equipment receipts to equal approximately $600 and the W-2 discrepancy to be $25.11. Bushey desired to reconcile the situation and highly recommended anyone to come forward to the board if there’s a discrepancy in pay.

Griffin would like some progress to be made within ten days and have the issue resolved by the next board meeting.

Bushey thanked him again.

Meeting adjourned at 7:34 p.m.

The next regular Board meeting for Timberline Fire Protection District will be held on Tuesday, April 19, 2023, at 6 p.m. at Fritz Peak building, 19126 Highway 119, Black Hawk.