Chief Paul Ondr, Timberline Fire District. It is not a surprise that we have been faced with some unique challenges this year including Covid-19. There have been interesting financial challenges, very dry conditions, increased visitors, as well as monitoring the well-being of our employees and volunteers during these challenging times.  

At the beginning of 2020, Timberline hired its first paid shift personnel. These three individuals work 48 hours on-shift and 96 hours off-duty, which is common in the fire service. This schedule provides 24-hour a day coverage, seven days a week. These individuals have a huge list of responsibilities and job duties but first and foremost, as with all of our employees, our primary responsibility is to assist your volunteers. Without your volunteers we would not be able to provide the services the community needs.

Between our paid staff, resident firefighters, shift firefighters and in-district responders, we are able to respond quickly to your needs with sufficient personnel to handle most emergencies safely and efficiently. In 2020, we responded to 670 emergency calls. These calls ranged from medical emergencies, backcountry rescues, wildfires, auto accidents and structure fires.

Covid-19 has created interesting challenges, and like everyone we have had to adapt to new mandates and social changes almost daily. As you can imagine in this line of work, social distancing is not realistic (that would be like asking you to socially distance from your family).  What we have been able to do is decrease the number of our personnel in contact with sick patients, provide additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to our responder (masks, gowns, goggles, and hand sanitizer). We have also implemented Covid screening procedures when people enter our buildings for shifts and calls. We have temporarily asked the public not to enter our building, but feel free to stop by and we will address your concerns by stepping outside.

I am often asked if we have enough PPE.  Thankfully, the answer today is yes. Through our relationship with Gilpin County Office of Emergency Management, the Mountain Mask Project and our vendors we have plenty at the moment. Through Gilpin OEM, we were also able to offer antibody testing to our responders about a month ago.

Wildland fire season was extremely busy. Timberline assisted 17 different times around the state on many different fires. This was done while ensuring we had sufficient coverage in our district to protect you. When things were at their worst, we actually staffed an additional fire truck during the day. This was done to increase the odds of catching a new fire before it became a large incident.  

In late September the High Country Auxiliary graciously approved our request to fund 18 new AEDs (Automatic External Defibrillators). This $20,000 donation is huge, as many of our AEDs were obsolete and in need of immediate replacement. Unfortunately, due to Covid, the HCA has had to cancel most of its fundraising this year. If you would like to donate to the HCA visit www.highcountyauxillary.com. 

If you have ever considered volunteering, now is a great time. No experience is necessary, and it is a great way to challenge yourself, meet new people, and help protect your community. If you are interested, just visit www.timberlinefire.com and click on “volunteer today’ for more information.

(Originally published in the January 14, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)