At approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, Timberline Fire Protection District (TFPD) hosted an open house and held their monthly board meeting at Station 3, located at 19126 Highway 119, Black Hawk, CO 80422.

President Rick Wenzel, Vice President John Bushey, and Members at Large Mary Kate McKenna, Kristin Turner, and John Carder attended the meeting, as well as Fire Chiefs Paul Ondr and Chris Schimanskey, and Administrative Chief Jennifer Hinderman. Highlights of the meeting included a Pension Board meeting, a contract with District Security Systems, and the Chief’s Report.

The Board recessed to call a Pension Board meeting to order. Ryan Roberts was found to have three unexcused absences in a row and thus was made inactive according to the attendance requirements.

The actuarial study was presented. The district contributes to the pension fund based upon the actuarial study. Schimanskey moved to increase the monthly benefit amount by $1, from $17 to $18. Bushey seconded. The $18 is then multiplied by the number of years worked and paid out monthly.

There was some discussion on how the FPPA (Fire and Police Pension Association) has said they will change their policies and relative payouts based upon high retirees. Wenzel called for a vote on the motion to increase the amount by $1. Turner, McKenna, Bushey, and Schimanskey voted aye. Wenzel and Carder voted against the motion. Motion passed 4-2.

After some discussion on how much the state will match in pension funds, a motion was made for the Pension Board to recommend to the Timberline Board to contribute $24,781 for the 2024 contribution to the Pension Fund. All were in favor.

The second quarter Allocation Report was presented and it was determined that everything was in good standing.

Notifications will be made to Ryan Roberts of his inactivity. Hinderman said it can be tough to find retirees who still live in the county. Letters will be sent to all retirees requesting letters of interest be sent to Wenzel by December 5.

The Pension Board meeting adjourned at 6:46 p.m. and the regular board meeting reconvened.

The unaudited financials brought up the topic of appointing a Treasurer. Wenzel asked for volunteers and McKenna offered to help.

The Board then discussed the upcoming draft budget and how several factors will be delaying the final numbers. Senate Bill 238 and HH303 have complicated matters of valuation and Hinderman suggested further reading from the Board.

Ondr discussed updating security through the district. One issue has been accessibility and a cloud-based system would solve this dilemma.

He also said that the current camera systems are outdated and some are in need of repair. Ondr presented a 5-year agreement with spot.ai for 18 cameras through most of the district for cloud-based 24/7 recording. There is an equipment warranty for the duration of the agreement and payment can be made in five equal annual installments beginning next year. The cost of the contract is $26,532.

At the end of the five years, the District can renew and get newer equipment if necessary. The agreement can be terminated by the Board at any time in the next five years if they deem there are insufficient funds in the budget. TABOR language was added to the contract.

McKenna moved to approve the contract, Bushey seconded, and all were in favor. Wenzel will sign the contract.

Ondr suggested that Old Business no longer include updates on Station 9 or 3 moving forward. Ondr reported all three engines are in service.

The Chief’s Report is as follows:

Operations:

• We responded to 57 calls in August. Average response times district wide was 10 minutes 27 seconds.

• Average response times by station are as follows: Station 1 – 18:57, Station 2 – 13:13, Station 3 – 11:16, Station 4 – 9:20, Station 5 – 3:28, Station 6 – 11:48, Station 7 –9:10, Station 9 – 11:06

• Slow progress is still being made on Tender 57; no ETA yet.

• We had a few challenging back country calls that went very well. The teamwork between agencies is better than ever.

• Active threat planning for the school is nearing completion. There is a tabletop exercise next month and a live evolution to follow.

Wildland/Mitigation:

• Roadside chipping in Golden Gate went well. Chipping took just over four days. 27 properties participated and 81 cubic yards were removed.

• County mitigation around the Community Center and Justice Center has been approved and will start later this week.

• Roadside mitigation in Corona Heights will begin after a community meeting October 12 at 6 p.m. at Station 3.

• Corona Heights chipping event starts October 2.

• Brush truck has been available, but unfortunately has not been requested.

Administration:

• We should hear about our Direct Distribution Grant next month. There were $10 million in requests and only $3 million available.

• Will be submitting our second Historical roof grant by the end of the month.

• Fire alarm at Station 7 should be completed by Friday.

• A few repairs and testing are scheduled for the Station 3 fire alarm system.

• Special meeting October 11 to receive draft budget.

• Our next meeting is at Station 9 on October 17. Open House from 4-6 p.m., ribbon cutting at 6 p.m. followed by the board meeting.

• We are bringing on two additional volunteers, one in and one out of district.

Training:

• Monthly training for September is residential fire attack with hands-on training at Boulder Training Center in early October (delayed from September 30 for fishing event).

• Working on scheduling two more live-fire days at Boulder and/or Clear Creek before the end of year.

The Chief’s Annual Review followed. Everyone gave their evaluation and Ondr gave comments on his own performance and areas where he could possibly improve.

McKenna talked about building awareness and community engagement with fundraising. Timberline will help with the Haunted House at the Stage Stop in October.

The meeting adjourned at 8:31 p.m.

The next regular Board Meeting for Timberline Fire Protection District will be held on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at Station 9, 7561 Virginia Canyon Road, Central City, CO 80427. Open House will be held from 4 to 6 p.m.