RECOMMENDATION for UNIFICATION of NFFPD, ECFPD, and ICFPD

11 Sep 2024 07:24 #1 by ElkCreekFireDepartment
RECOMMENDATION for UNIFICATION of North Fork Fire, Elk Creek Fire, and Inter-Canyon Fire Protection Districts

Hello community -

We have some important news to share with you, and we want to get this information to you prior to upcoming fire district board meetings in the most straightforward and transparent way we can.
The three Fire Chiefs (from North Fork Fire, Elk Creek Fire, and Inter-Canyon Fire) are recommending an amendment to our current consolidation IGA to create unification among the three fire districts. This amendment is being presented to the fire district boards who will vote on them at the next upcoming board meetings.

We invite you to read the following information, and then take a bit of time to watch this more in-depth video chat with Chief Skip Shirlaw and FF/Public Information Officer Bethany Urban. We feel this candid and heartfelt conversation will provide a deeper understanding of the factors leading to this recommendation, as well as insights on what is truly needed to care for and maintain the safety of our communities.

We will create time in the coming months for public interaction, discussion, and questions about this topic. Thank you for taking the time to read through and watch this information. We are, as always, dedicated in service to this community that we love.

HERE ARE SOME BRIEF POINTS, again, please watch the video for further.
  • The three Fire Chiefs are recommending an amendment to our current consolidation IGA to create unification among the three fire districts. This amendment is being presented to the fire district boards who will vote on them at the next upcoming board meetings.
  • This amended IGA will propose unification without a mill levy increase.
  • The districts would be unified into one district, and then rebranded into Conifer Fire.
  • The entire unified district will be at the North Fork mill levy, which is the lowest of the three districts.
  • If the boards approve this unification process, the intent is that the districts will be unified by January 2025.

There will be public hearings in the coming couple months so that the community can ask questions and get more information.

###
Video - Shirlaw Interview on Unification

In case of emergency, please dial 911.
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16 Nov 2024 14:27 - 20 Nov 2024 15:02 #2 by ScienceChic
TO THE CITIZENS OF ELK CREEK, INTER-CANYON, AND NORTH FORK FIRE-PROTECTION DISTRICTS (FPDs):

GREETINGS!

We who have signed below are the men and women who devotedly provide emergency services in your FPDs.  

We represent 100% percent of the 79 respondents (78% of all Members) to a formal survey of our three collective FPDs’ professional firefighting and EMS personnel (both paid and volunteer, 57 of these responders from Elk Creek Fire, representing 90% of its Members), and 948 years of actual emergency response experience (556 of these years in Elk Creek Fire alone). It is our professional belief that Unifying our three FPDs, as proposed by our respective Fire Chiefs, is in the best interest of every person residing in each of our FPDs.

The current arrangement of separate FPDs is NOT working well for this community: with growing call numbers, severity, and overlap as well as increased mutual-aid needs, we are constantly within one call of catastrophe in our service to our districts and their people.  For these and other operational reasons, we believe that we would be much more effective in this community’s care and safety as a single, Unified FPD.  

If you want more timely and more fully-staffed emergency response, we urge you to support what volunteer and career staff alike endorse: UNIFICATION OF OUR 3 FPDs!

We encourage, and request that you encourage, your FPD’s Directors to vote Yes to Unify our three FPDs and to support this fundamental change in how we work together. Unification will allow us to be more effective and efficient in providing our community the better level of emergency service that is necessary as this community evolves.  

Please help us to help you!
**************************************************
Elk Creek FPD Members: 57 responses (90% of Members), all ‘In Favor’; 556 Years of Service*
S. Aronson, Career, 23 years of service
C Barry, Career, 6 years of service
A. Bartells, Volunteer, 5 years of service
A. Beckwith, Volunteer, 4 years of service
H. Beckwith, Volunteer, 1 year of service
J. Berry, Volunteer, 2 years of service
X. Borg, Career, 7 years of service
K. Devaney, Volunteer, 25 years of service
D. Evers, Career, 9 years of service
L. Fabbri, Volunteer, 21 years of service
K. Fontaine, Volunteer, 3 years of service
B. Gage, Career, 16 years of service
J. Gardner, Volunteer, 4 years of service
G. Guttman, Career, 10 years of service
N. Hankins, Volunteer, 8 years of service
L. Hartley, Career, 10 years of service
T. Hokit, Career, 5 years of service
W. Huber, Volunteer, 12 years of service
P. Igel, Volunteer, 32 years of service
N. Jenkins, Career, 11 years of service
T. Jones, Volunteer, 5 years of service
L. Knecht, Career, 8 years of service
P. Koch, Volunteer, 9 years of service
R. LeBaron, Career, 14 years of service
K. Macauley, Volunteer, 2 years of service
S. Macauley, Career, 3 years of service
S. Marble, Volunteer, 13 years of service
A. McClain, Career, 6 years of service
K. McConnaughey, Career, 4 years of service
M. McCready, Career, 1 year of service
A. McIver, Volunteer, 9 years of service
A. McManus, Career, 3 years of service
B. Moore, Volunteer, 2 years of service
K. Moser, Volunteer, 11 years of service
B. Moses, Career, 11 years of service
C. Moya, Career, 18 years of service
A. Nesbitt, Career, 15 years of service
C. Nyholm, Career, 6 years of service
J. Papenfus, Career, 16 years of service
P. Quiesner, Volunteer, 21 years of service
R. Rush, Career, 12 years of service
P. Scott, Career, 28 years of service
A. Shearer, Career, 1 year of service
K. Shine, Volunteer, 7 years of service
T. Smith, Career, 4 years of service
A. Steed, Career, 1 year of service
S. Tamburlin, Volunteer, 13 years of service
C. Thiel, Volunteer, 7 years of service
N. Trefethen, Volunteer, 2 years of service
S. Trilk, Volunteer, 6 years of service
B. Urban, Career, 10 years of service
A. Wezeman, Career, 6 years of service
B. Wilkins, Volunteer, 3 years of service
J. Winefeldt, Career, 23 years of service
B. Yellin, Career, 14 years of service
J. Zeugschmidt, Career, 3 years of service
T. Zoesch, Career, 4 years of service

Inter-Canyon FPD Members 13 responses (65% of Members), all ‘In Favor’; 244 Years of Service*
J. Adamy, Volunteer, 2 years of service
S. Buckles, Career, 30 years of service
D. Carcone, Volunteer, 34 years of service
T. Elkins, Volunteer, 6 years of service
S. Epperson, Career, 12 years of service
T. Fedyna, Volunteer, 1 year of service
R. Fuller, Volunteer, 7 years of service
W. Fuller, Volunteer, 7 years of service
M. Hansen, 16 years of service
D. Hatlestad, Career, 43 years of service
T. James, Career, 14 years of service
J. Mandl, Career, 24 years of service
D. Wurts, Volunteer, 30 years of service

North Fork FPD Members 8 responses (44% of Members), all ‘In Favor’; 148 Years of Service*
T. Bono, Career, 39 years of service
A. Dyes, Volunteer, 1 year of service
J. Gardner, Volunteer, 1 year of service
J. Graves, Volunteer, 1 year of service
G. Mcdonald, Volunteer, 1 year of service
J. McCoy, Volunteer, 24 years of service
J. Rogers, Vounteer, 8 years of service
J. Siewertsen, Volunteer, 7 years of service

Names and statistics as of 0700 Mountain Time Thursday 14 November 2024.
Each Fire Chief’s’ Years of Service included in total; Chiefs otherwise not included in lists or statistics.

"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
The following user(s) said Thank You: aflleo

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16 Nov 2024 17:25 #3 by aflleo
Thank you for your service and the redocumentation FOR Unification. When it comes to a decision like Unification, I listen to the fire/EMS professionals listed here with 948 YEARS of experience, not cosecc, which lacks any relevant experience. I support Unification because, as these professionals believe, it is essential for the safety of families, friends, and neighbors.

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29 Nov 2024 20:59 #4 by ElkCreekFireDepartment
We are so grateful for the support of the board members from all three boards who chose to move unification forward. Anyone who was there witnessed the passionate commitment and dedication behind this, the determination to do what is best to keep our community and our firefighters safe from everyday emergencies to the ever-increasing threat of catastrophic wildfire. We will continue to make the best choices that ensure the sustainability of emergency services to this incredible community.

“This was a historic night, our biggest since the formation of the district 76 years ago… These are the bold, courageous, moves that have made Elk Creek successful.” (Elk Creek Fire Chief Jacob Ware)
If you want to watch the moving testimony of so many, My Mountain Town has the video of the meeting posted: mymountaintown.com/forum/194-area-non-pr...deos?start=20#410072 .

Thank you to all who have supported us.
Fire district unification moving forward: Elk Creek board approves critical motion
Inter-Canyon Fire Board approves two exclusions, one required for unification

“It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when…”
Thank you to 9 News for helping share our story of unification as we move forward with protecting and caring for our communities in the best way possible. With an ever-increasing threat of catastrophic wildfire and with call volume and acuity on the rise, we know that working together provides us the best operational efficiencies and an improved response. We are stronger together. We look forward to serving you as Conifer Fire soon.
Video interview: 3 Jefferson County fire departments preparing to merge

In case of emergency, please dial 911.
elkcreekfpd.colorado.gov/
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30 Nov 2024 18:03 - 30 Nov 2024 18:04 #5 by PrintSmith
Yes, congratulations on finding a way to thwart the consent of the governed after you were told, just last year, that the majority of those you serve didn’t wish to combine, unify, consolidate, their department with other departments. You are to be commended for finding a way to do what you wanted to do rather than listen to the voices of those you serve.

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