A mood of emotional pain was palpable in the conference room on Monday afternoon as the Estes Valley Fire Protection District Board gaveled into session for a meeting that lasted.
More than two dozen full-time and volunteer firefighters, along with several community members, gathered to learn what the next steps forward would be for the district, which experienced the resignation of four members within a week.
An equally serious mood was also palpable, one of confidence and resilience among the firefighters that — in spite of the difficulties not just over the past week but over the past 28 months since the EVFPD Board entered into a severance agreement with David Wolf — when there is an emergency, they are committed to serve the community.
While members of the Board and firefighters spoke about the stress on the District, several people said the District is not in crisis and its members can effectively and professionally respond to the needs of the Estes Valley community.
The Board accepted the resignation of the district’s chief, Paul Capo, on Oct. 3. Capo, who joined the District in October 2017 and was named chief in October 2024, was placed on administrative leave in June, seven weeks after the voters of the EVFPD elected the new Board.
The Board promptly hired a human relations firm to conduct an independent investigation into personnel matters that had come to their attention. At the conclusion of the investigation, the Board appointed a two-member committee from the Board to act on its behalf in negotiating severance terms with Capo’s representatives.
After the announcement that Capo was no longer employed by the District, three staff members resigned: Erika Goetz, the chief of staff; Jason Dillingham, the division chief of operations and training; and Laura Shepherd. Goetz was hired in 2015 by the current vice chair of the board, Scott Dorman, when he was the chief of the EVFPD. Dillingham was hired in May 2025, and Shepard was hired in 2024.
When the Monday afternoon meeting began, the Board rearranged the agenda to hear first from the District’s accountant and review a draft of the 2026 budget before moving on to address the selection of a new interim district chief.
Kirby Hazelton, an elected member of the Town of Estes Park Board of Trustees, stood to speak during public comment. Hazelton stated that she was there as an individual resident of the district, not in her capacity as an elected Town official.
Hazelton cited concerns about transparency and the management of Board materials, including the posting of names of people interested in serving as interim chief in the meeting packet online and their subsequent removal.
“When I look back at the challenges of the fire district over the past several years, there’s been changes in staff, changes in Boards, and one common denominator has remained. It wasn’t one of those staff. It wasn’t Board members. I’d encourage you to take a deep look at the common denominator and decide if allowing that denominator to direct the show is proper governance,” said Hazelton.
“I want to conclude by saying that I was also extremely disappointed in the Board’s statement about this staffing change. It felt disingenuous and frankly, somewhat disrespectful. I’d like to state my appreciation for Erika, Jason, and Laura and honor them for the great contributions they’ve given to our community. While I’m at it, I’d also like to thank Chief Wolf and Chief Capo. Our community has and will suffer for their departure from this district,” Hazelton added.
Several people, including the interim chief, Stacey Sutherland, and Chris Thomas, the training captain and volunteer coordinator, spoke to say that while the District is undergoing a difficult period due to the resignations and has been dealing with a difficult period since previous Boards entered into a severance agreement with David Wolf as chief in May 2023, followed by the hiring of Rick Lasky as chief in April 2024 and then his resignation three months later, the District is capable of responding to the emergency needs of the community.
“I just wanted to make it very clear to the Board, the community, and the public that our volunteers are still fully committed to this District. They sacrifice their time to do training and run calls, and that’s not changing. So the command staff presence and the changes don’t dictate what those do. They will still continue to run calls. If anyone has an issue or a problem and they call 911, we will be coming,” said Thomas.
After hearing public comments, the Board discussed giving Stacey Sutherland, who has served as interim chief for nearly four months, a bonus and compensation for a raise she would have been eligible for had she not taken on the interim chief role. The board agreed on the amount of $10,000. Sutherland, who is not interested in continuing to serve as interim chief in the long term, agreed to stay in the role until a new interim chief is named.
Sutherland holds the rank of lieutenant, and if she had not accepted the temporary role as interim chief, she was preparing for a promotion to the rank of captain.
The Board then began a lengthy discussion and heard public comments on its search for an interim chief.
Several names of individuals interested in serving as the interim chief were identified during the meeting, including former EVFPD chief Rick Lasky; Warren Jones, who served as the fire chief of the Evans Fire District; Brian Martins, who served as the fire chief of the Windsor-Severence Fire Protection District; Gary Gula, who is the deputy fire chief in Champaign, Illinois; and a fire chief from the Loveland Fire Department. It was explained that if the fire chief from Loveland were to be named to the interim chief role, that person would report to the Loveland Fire District Board.
The EVFPD board appointed a committee of two board members, two staff members, and two volunteers to talk to the interested parties and make a recommendation to the Board by Monday, Oct. 20, when the Board will reconvene to take up the matter of naming an interim chief.
Several district staff and volunteers expressed specific thoughts about asking Lasky to return as interim chief. Some people cited concerns about why he left abruptly 15 months ago, while others expressed support for his leadership.
Neither Lasky nor the Board publicly commented about his sudden resignation at the time. A week after Lasky’s resignation, Lasky’s wife attended a Board meeting. During the public comment session, she stated that there was a “cancer” in the District, and unless that issue were addressed, problems within the District would persist.
In an interview with the Estes Valley Voice the day after his resignation, Lasky said he could not comment specifically on the issues that led to his resignation, but said he did not have the Board’s support to make the changes within the District that he thought needed to be made, and, under the circumstances, he could not do his job as chief.
Nathan Meulener, a volunteer with the rank of lieutenant, told the Board that “the membership is going to show up. Our district is safe. The tones are going to go off, and 911 goes off, and the administration did not roll the rigs. The members did. So the members are going to continue showing up.”
Sutherland said, “I also want to reiterate what Captain Thomas has stated about our volunteers and that when those tones go off, I know who’s going to be here — all of you guys, and I know that we will continue that commitment to this community.”
“Thank you to all of you. I do feel like we need an outside person at this point with a fresh set of eyes that can be a strong leader for us, and we need somebody who is okay with having hard conversations and somebody who has incredible people skills,” Sutherland added.
Sutherland said the opportunity to serve as interim chief has “brought out a strength in me that I had forgotten, and it’s allowed me to see some things that I didn’t know we needed. And we need a strong leader right now, and we need somebody with fresh eyes that can come in with unbiased opinions.”
The EVFPD Board will meet again on Oct. 20 at 4:30 p.m. to hear from the screening committee and address the selection of an interim chief. After that has happened, the board will then begin the process of recruiting a permanent chief.