Summit Fire & EMS Annual Report for 2018 2018 & EMS Annual Report

To the public we proudly serve:

As we at Summit Fire & EMS close the books on 2018 and look forward to 2019, we offer this assessment of the work that we do on your behalf. Our well-trained firefighters answered nearly 3,000 incident-response calls, running the gamut of everything from medical emergencies to vehicle crashes to hazardous-materials releases to fires. Our Community Risk Division handled more than 400 permits for new construction and event fire-safety inspections as well as nearly 300 assessments for adequate wildfire “defensible space.” Our annual Fire Prevention Week safety lessons in the local schools reached more than 1,300 kids ranging from pre-school through fifth grade.

2018 Highlights Chief Jeff Berino We started on January 1 formally combining Lake Dillon Fire and Copper intoFire Summit & EMS, Fire reflecting & EMS .the Throughout merger between the year, Lake we Dillon continued with our major department-wide project seeking professional accreditation, a process of self-examination and justification for all that we do, that culminated in a three-day site visit from a national peer-review team. We are scheduled for a final hearing and determination in March. In June, we – along with our colleagues from numerous fire departments around the region and federal and state ground and air firefighting resources – successfully battled the Buffalo Mountain Fire that came within a few feet of one condominium complex and threatened the densely populated Mesa Cortina and Wildernest subdivisions. Later that month, we broke ground on a new administration building in the Summit County Commons to be shared with the Summit County Ambulance Service. We anticipate moving into the building in late spring. In September, an independent, county-sponsored study recommended the merger of Summit Fire and Summit County Ambulance, a proposal that has prompted earnest discussions with county officials that are ongoing. And in November, we were gratified that voters in the two taxing districts that make up our response area – the Lake Dillon Fire Protection District and the Copper Mountain Consolidated Metropolitan District – each overwhelmingly approved a technical ballot measure that allows Summit Fire to stop the continual downward-ratcheting effect on our operating budget due to the state constitution’s Gallagher Amendment that required diminishing revenues from residential property taxes. In closing, I want to thank our dedicated staff members, who serve with pride every day. I also want to thank our community members for keeping safety foremost in mind.

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2018 Summit Fire & EMS Annual Report

OPERATIONS

Summit Fire firefighters battled the tenacious Enclave condominium fire in Keystone on November 23.

Summit Fire & frequent times when mutual-aid EMS operates collaboration is needed. round-the-clock In addition to regular duties, constant fire stations in technical training and emergency Copper Mountain, responses, Summit Fire firefighters Frisco, Dillon and participated in numerous community Keystone. events in 2018 such as Fire Prevention The 63 career Week in the schools, the Safe Summer firefighters work Kickoff, the Summit County Library Operations Chief on a three-shift reading program, the Muscular Dystrophy Bruce Farrell schedule, which Association “Fill the Boot” campaign, the Tiger Trot 5K run for the Summit Middle entails 48 hours on duty and 96 hours off. School, Adopt an Angel holiday program, Each station has a four-person crew Memorial Day and Fourth of July comprised of a company officer, a ceremonies, hosting the Wounded Warrior driver/engineer, a firefighter/paramedic dinner and participating in the 9/11 and a firefighter/EMT. memorial stair climb. Summit Fire operates the High Country Summit Fire & EMS happily hosts Training Center jointly with Red, White & station tours and fire-education sessions Blue Fire (Breckenridge) for in-house for schools, community groups and training for all hazard responses and members of the public. To schedule one, establishing uniform practices for the please call (970) 262-5100, ext. 125.

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2018 Summit Fire & EMS Annual Report

OPERATIONS

2018 Incidents

Normal fire response Battalion chief Rescue and EMS (1,533, 51.24 Three engines percent) 100-foot ladder truck Vehicle crash/injuries (134, Medic unit 4.48 percent)

Normal medical response Good intent call (582, 19.45 One engine percent) One medic unit False alarm (491, 16.41 percent) Operations staff Deputy Chief Hazardous condition (108, 3.61 Three battalion chiefs percent) Three captains Nine lieutenants Fires (57, 1.91 percent) 12 engineers 11 firefighter/medics Total calls: 2,992 19 firefighters

Summit Fire & EMS responded to 2,992 Silverthorne, the Enclave condominium calls for assistance in 2018, essentially fire in Keystone and several large-scale unchanged from the previous year. crashes and vehicle fires on Interstate 70. Losses due to structure fires for the year Summit Fire paramedics, working in were valued at $202,248. Firefighters partnership with Summit County saved an additional estimated Ambulance Service in a cross-staffing $34,938,904 in property threatened by arrangement, were involved in 812 fires. patient-care ambulance trips. Summit Fire put into service a new Type Summit Fire firefighters also participated 3 wildfire engine and a new Type 6 cumulatively in thousands of hours of wildfire engine, both of which replaced routine training in subjects such as aging apparatus. A new Type 1 front-line hazardous-materials response, technical engine will be ordered in 2019 for rescue, firefighting, medical care, ice and anticipated delivery in 2020 to replace swift-water rescue, vehicle extrication and another aging engine. traffic safety and specialized skills. Many have obtained additional academic degrees Among the high-profile incidents to and career-advancement education, as which Summit Fire responded in 2019 well. were the Buffalo Mountain wildfire near

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2018 Summit Fire & EMS Annual Report

WILDFIRE

Firefighters from Summit Fire and across the region battled the Buffalo Mountain Fire on June 12, saving the densely populated developments of Mesa Cortina and Wildernest in great part thanks to a U.S. Forest Service clear cut.

Every Summit Fire & EMS firefighter is outside the district, notably the 416 Fire certified with a “red card” for wildfire near Durango, the Lake Christine Fire near duty, and many carry advanced Basalt and several wildfires. certification for positions such as sawyer, Beyond providing wildfire response, engine boss, crew leader, division Summit Fire also strongly advocates supervisor and higher-level administrative wildfire readiness. Inspectors conducted positions. 278 compulsory inspections in 2018 to In addition to fighting wildfires locally, ensure adequate wildfire “defensible crews volunteer for tours of duty on large- space” for all new construction as required scale fires throughout the West, which under the Summit County building code. provide invaluable on-the-ground training Additionally, the Community Risk and assist our colleagues from other Division offers complimentary, non- departments who may someday be called binding wildfire-readiness reviews for to Summit County’s aid. The expenses for residents, neighborhoods and those assignments are reimbursed by the homeowners’ associations that focus on fire-management overhead team, most both improving a home’s chances of frequently the federal government. withstanding a wildfire and personal In 2018, some 30 Summit Fire firefighters preparedness. To schedule a free spent 123 work days fighting wildfires consultation, please call (970) 262-5100.

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2018 Summit Fire & EMS Annual Report

A couple of the many notable incidents on Interstate 70: (Top) In October, a tractor-trailer carrying a load of pipes crashed into this car and spilled its load coming down from the Eisenhower Tunnel, requiring Summit Fire firefighters to extricate the driver. (Bottom left) A truck caught fire descending from the tunnel in September. (Bottom right) And a 20-vehicle pileup in November closed the interstate for hours.

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2018 Summit Fire & EMS Annual Report

Clockwise from top left: Summit Fire firefighters responded to calls for help from states throughout the West, including several in California. That provides good training for use back home, such as this brush fire along Colorado 9 north of Silverthorne. And, as always, we are buoyed by the support of the community after the Buffalo Mountain wildfire. 7 | P a g e

2018 Summit Fire & EMS Annual Report

FIRE PREVENTION

Conducting inspections of tents for proper weights and tie-downs is an important aspect to ensuring public safety at special events such as the weekly Dillon Farmer’s Market in the summers.

a With five full- Additionally, the division conducted 278 time inspectors defensible-space inspections for new and a construction that generated $19,360 in community-risk fees. officer, the Summit Fire’s public-education team Summit Fire & taught fire-safety lessons to nearly 1,300 EMS students at all four elementary schools plus Community private pre-schools during Fire Prevention Risk Division Week, in addition to responding to strives to requests for public education including Fire Marshal protect lives and free fire-extinguisher training for Kim McDonald property from businesses, courtesy car-seat installations hazards through risk assessment, and inspections and fire-safety evaluation, mitigation and planning. presentations to school and civic groups. The Community Risk Division issued 444 A fire department permit is required for all permits in 2018 for projects such as new tenant finishes, remodels, new construction construction, life safety systems and and life-safety systems. business remodels. That generated Please call (970) 262-5100 for more $391,196 in fees, a 34 percent increase information. over 2017.

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2018 Summit Fire & EMS Annual Report

HUMAN RESOURCES

Summit Fire & Recipients of Annual Awards EMS Community Awards: Mark McManus, welcomed a Summit Daily News, Bill Gilchrist number of new employees in Chief’s Award: Lt. Ryan Cole, Engineer 2018, Bob Corcoran including Unit Citation Award: Firefighter/medics firefighters Adam Anderson, August Guettlein, Jim Darren Toro, Levi, Paul Camillo Kevin Rathjen and Tyler Unit Citation Award: Community Risk HR Manager Division, comprised of Deputy Chief Matt Scheer Nelson; Gary Curmode, Assistant Chief Steve executive assistant Erin Mumma; fire Skulski, Capt. Kim McDonald, Deputy inspector Scott Benson; and Community Fire Marshal Dan Moroz, Inspectors Risk Division interns Benjamin Goff and David Coulter, Mark Thomson and Jim Patrick Foley. Farquhar, administrative technician We also bid adieu to retiring/departing Donna Rushing and community-resource employees fire inspector David Coulter; officer Steve Lipsher firefighter/paramedic Josiah Christian; Leadership Award: Capt. John Wilkerson operations chief Joe Hegenderfer; IT systems administrator Carlina Duggan; Firefighter of the Year Award: Engineer and fleet technician Jack Strong. Kyle Iseminger (pictured above)

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2018 Summit Fire & EMS Annual Report

FINANCE

2019 Projected Expenditures

Firefighting $7,278,103 75.4%

Administration $765,339 7.9%

Community Risk Division $559,610 5.8% Support Services $583,648 6.0%

Summit Fire Authority (Training Ctr) $261,994 2.7% Stations & Grounds $198,688 2.1%

2019 Projected ExpendituresIn its first year of the two districts

Summit Fire & operating jointly, Summit Fire ended 2018 EMS is funded financially sound, under budget in FIREFIGHTING $6,544,117 66.6% predominantly operating expenses and with no debt through incurred. TheADMINISTRATION department’s $765,339 capital 7.8%-fund property taxes reserve is $1.6 million, or 16 percent of designated for total expenditures.COMMUNITY The RISK 2019 DIVISION operating $559,610 the Lake Dillon budget is projected5.7% to be $9.8 million, a Fire Protection three percentSUPPORT increase SERVICES over DIVISION2018. $583,648 District and the 5.9% Finance Manager TRAINING CENTER $261,994 2.7% Copper The Lake Dillon Fire Protection District Mary Hartley Mountain received the 2017 Certificate of Excellence inSTATIONS Financial & GROUNDS Reporting $198,688 for 2.0% the Consolidated Metropolitan District. The second year in a row from the Government property-tax assessment dedicated to Finance Officers Association. Summit Fire fire protection is based on an 80/20 & EMS – reflecting the inclusion of percentage split. For 2019, Lake Dillon Copper Mountain Fire – will be filing its taxpayers will contribute $7.6 million, first Comprehensive Annual Financial and Copper Mountain taxpayers will Report in 2019 for 2018 financial records. contribute $1.9 million. The fire department’s 67 percent The Summit Fire operating budget for contribution to the new joint 2019 is projected to be $9.8 million, a administration building, to be shared with 3.6 percent increase over the previous the Summit County Ambulance Service, year. will be an estimated $2.8 million. 10 | P a g e

2018 Summit Fire & EMS Annual Report

SUPPORT SERVICES

Groundbreaking on the new $4.2 million administration building in the Summit County Commons near Frisco, to be shared with the Summit County Ambulance Service, occurred on June 29.

The Summit Fire Summit County Communications & EMS Support Center, which includes automatic Services division vehicle locating to ensure the is tasked with closest response crew is sent to overseeing the emergencies Community Risk  Outsourced many information- Division, building technology services and established and facility most records on the internet cloud maintenance, fleet services, Deputy Chief  Broke ground on a new $4.2 information Gary Curmode million administration building, to be shared with the Summit County technology, communications equipment, Ambulance Service, in the Summit bulk purchasing and supply and County Commons near Frisco coordination of the volunteer Fire Corps. Among the Support Services highlights  The in-house Snake River Fleet in 2018: Services performed vehicle maintenance and repairs 189 times  Digitized the printed blueprints of on department vehicles for 650 all commercial buildings in the hours of labor, and another 125 fire district times, resulting in 851 hours of labor on vehicles from other  Established a new computer- organizations. aided dispatch system with the

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2018 Summit Fire & EMS Annual Report

SUMMIT FIRE & EMS IN THE COMMUNITY

Summit Fire participates in many community events throughout the year. Clockwise from top left: Tykes from a local pre-school get a station tour. Getting a ride home from school on a fire engine is a thrill for any kid – and a great PTA fundraiser. Firefighters lead “story hour” at the North Branch Library in Silverthorne. And the Frisco Family Fun Fest is a great time to meet our fire crews each summer. Summit Fire & EMS is governed by a five-person publicly elected board of directors. Three representatives come from the Lake Dillon Fire Protection District: President Jim Cox, Treasurer Lori Miller and Jim Lee. Two representatives come from Copper Mountain: Vice President Dave Steele and Ben Broughton.

Cox Steele Miller Lee Broughton

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