In the fire service, bells have a long and storied history. Fire bells have been used for centuries to announce fires and summon firefighters to service. They were used on early fire apparatus during response to clear traffic.
In fact, many fire trucks, including ours, still carry these bells in respect of this tradition. More solemnly, fire bells are used to recognize the ultimate sacrifice of firefighters who have died in the line of duty. I believe When the Bells Ring is a fitting title for these periodic columns on the state of fire protection and emergency services here in Estes Valley.
All of our firefighters are volunteers, as they have been for over a century. We have a current membership of 47 firefighters and auxiliary members. Each contributes hundreds of hours of community service every year, some well into the thousands. This includes responding to fires, medical emergencies, rescues, and other hazards. They also contribute many hours for training, equipment maintenance, and special events.
Last year we responded to 860 calls for service; this year we expect to exceed 1,000.
Our volunteers come from all walks of life, and all live here in the Estes Valley. We have a small staff of paid personnel who support our volunteers and provide fire prevention and wildfire risk reduction services.
While many communities like ours struggle to maintain a volunteer fire department, our experience here has been the opposite. We are always recruiting volunteers. Residents of the district interested in serving as a volunteer firefighter or auxiliary member can find more information on our website.
In addition to providing a high level of service, our volunteers save the citizens and property owners of the Estes Valley a significant amount of money. Our annual budget is just over $3 million. To provide the same level of service with a fully paid workforce the cost would be over $12 million.
The value of the property we protect in the Estes Valley is second only to that of Fort Collins and Loveland, so the value we provide is outstanding.
Each year we celebrate the accomplishments and service of our members. At our recent awards ceremony, the following members were recognized. When you see them around town please thank them for their service.
- Connor Brewer: Firefighter of the Year
- Rick Spear: Officer of the Year
- Mark Brown: Rookie of the Year
- Diana Ven Der Ploeg: Auxiliary Member of the Year
- Ron Bruchwalski: Top Responder of the Year (an astounding 629 responses)
- Trevor Igle: Most Training Hours for the Year (489)
In the coming months, I’ll address several aspects of the services we provide and the challenges we face. Next month, I’ll talk about the risk of wildfire here in the Estes Valley. Those of you who have lived here for any length of time know that wildfire is our greatest risk, and it’s growing.
In cooperation with many emergency response partners at the county, state, and federal levels we are constantly improving our fire response capabilities. As important, we’re building a state-of-the-art wildfire risk reduction program. More on this next month.
Finally, it’s been my honor to serve as your Interim Fire Chief for the past four months. We are starting our search for a permanent fire chief soon, so I expect to be with you until late summer. In my 50 years in the fire service, I have never worked with a more dedicated and skillful group of people.