Faster Emergency Response for the Price of a Coffee

Durango Fire and Rescue seeks voter support to fund a new fire station in three Springs Durango Fire Protection District. Fire Chief Randy Black says the proposed station could save lives and would cost homeowners less than a large Starbucks pumpkin spice latte. Per week. You are watching the local News Network brought to you by Fast Signs Durango and Dunkin Donuts. I am Sadie Smith.

So our call volume is really starting to spike in this smaller density area, but this station is not just responsible for the three springs area. It will also cover the county area. So it will cover the Florina Mesa Grandview area one 60 East Highway 1 72. So it really covers the, the whole region out here on the eastern edge of our district, which is where the growth is happening.

Three springs in the surrounding area have experienced steady growth since the New Mercy Hospital opened there in 2006. Now the region includes the hospital assisted living facilities, housing, commercial development, and subdivisions that have popped up along the highway 1 72 corridor to the airport.

The, the group, as part of the development agreement, they donated this land to us. So the developers that did this, there’s been a lot of questions on why don’t they fund this? Well, they did. They’ve got impact fees and development fees out here, plus they donated the piece of property for, so they’ve already contributed that. The residents out here are pretty excited, the ones that we’ve talked to. Obviously having a fire station that’s, you know, two minutes away instead of one that’s 12 minutes away is a big difference.

The proposed tax increase would raise about $6 million annually to fund build and fully staff a station in three springs. The new revenues also will cover funding shortfalls caused by changes to state tax laws that reduce an individual’s tax burden from rising property values. Black says the new station will improve emergency response times, not only in three springs, but the surrounding area. Two,

This station affects even downtown and up in the Animus Valley and everywhere, because right now, crews have to respond out here. So they’re vacating their areas to come on, calls out here. Well, if they vacate their areas and then a call happens, then the next crew has to respond into that area. So you just get this cascading effect. So trying to have enough resources spread around our district to cover all of demands for services is our goal.

If voters approve the measure residential property with an actual value of 750,000 would owe about 43% more in taxes from 384 to $552 per year. That may sound like a lot, but the increase is a mere $3 and 25 cents a week. Less than half the cost of a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte.

The modeling that we do is very different from law enforcement. Law enforcement can have a center station, so say the sheriff’s department or the police department, and they’re out on patrol. The fire department doesn’t do that. We put stations where the density of calls are and then we respond out to areas of less call volume. So this is the density is is here in three springs. The more houses, the more density you get. You know, our heat maps show that this is where the station needs to be.

Durango Fire and Rescue serves a 325 square mile area with 16 fire stations. Four of the stations are staffed with emergency medical technicians and paramedics onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The volunteer station at Elmore’s Corner covers the three springs area, including growing developments along Colorado Highway 1 72 to the Durango La Plata County Airport. Black noted that staffing for stations like Elmores has declined steadily because would-be volunteers often have to work more than one job to afford the local cost of living and don’t have time for the added commitment.

Our volunteer stations are literally a garage. There’s no living quarters. Some of them don’t even have bathrooms in them or running water. So they’re literally, they, they’re not designed for a crew to be living full time. So even if we tried to do the Elmore Station where we have a station right now, we would’ve to demo that building and then rebuild the same thing that we’re going to do here.

Durango Fire and Rescue is an all hazards department that responds primarily to fires and medical emergencies like heart attacks or strokes. It also responds to car accidents, rescue missions, and other incidents where a fast response time can make the difference between life or death.

The response times are a big thing, that we’re going to be quicker to be able to respond to emergencies. That means we can catch fires when they’re smaller. We can have more of an impact. We’re we’re faster responding to medical emergencies. We’re providing airway and emergency assistance that that’s life saving to people.

Voters last approved a mill levy increase in 2017. This year’s question will be on two ballots. The City of Durango ballot. Question two A and the Durango Fire Protection District ballot. Question seven, A voters must pass both measures to fund the station.

You know, we’re, we’re asking the public for their money. That’s, you know, that’s a hard thing to do, and we don’t, we don’t take it lightly. You know that it’s the folks hard earned money. It’s, you know, it’s our job to be ready to respond to, to the call for service that the community puts on us. So when they call 9 1 1, they expect that demand to be met. The only way that we can do that is by being ready.

More information on the proposal can be found on the Durango Fire and Rescue website. For more information about this and other stories, visit Durango Local News. Thank you for watching this edition of The Local NEWS Network. I’m Sadie Smith.