By Jon Huang
The Falcon Fire Protection District held its monthly board meeting Jan. 15 at the Falcon Fire Administration Building on 7030 Old Meridian Road. Joan Fritsche, attorney; Tom Kerby, assistant secretary; Ray Hawkins, treasurer; James Reid, president; Dan Kupferer, vice president; Trent Harwig, chief, attended. Steve Podoll, secretary, was absent and excused.
Correspondence
The district received a request from the Meridian Ranch development to place a trailer sign promoting their development on district property at the corner of Highway 24 and Meridian Road at a rate of $150 per month. The board unanimously approved it, with Kerby abstaining.
December minutes
The board approved December minutes unanimously without discussion.
Treasurer’s report
Harwig presented the numbers through December 2024, representing 100% of the fiscal year.
The General Fund was at 105% of the expected revenues ($622,887 over). The amount reflected unanticipated additional funds from the Senate backfill measures and specific ownership tax. Total expenses were at 92% of expected.
The Ambulance Transport Fund was at 119% of the expected revenues ($578,050 over) — the Colorado Medicaid reimbursement was not included in the original budget and there was an additional $50,000 in deposit interest. Total expenses were at 76% of expected.
The Capital Project Fund had received 102% of expected revenues ($70,809 over). This was due to a higher deposit interest. Total expenses were at 44% of expected.
The Rural Water Fund had no new activity.
The board unanimously passed the report without discussion.
Staff report
Chief Jeff Petersma presented the operations report for November 2024.
There were 356 total calls in November. Year-to-date totals were 3,766 calls for the year, with 3,030 for the Falcon district alone. Response times for November remained stable.
Petersma presented the EMS report.
There were 147 transports in December. Year-to-date totals included 1,616 transports, with an average cash per trip of $613.89. The 24-month average was $628.89 cash per trip. With the supplemental Medicaid reimbursement, the cash per trip was $860.89.
Lt. Curtis Kauffman presented the fire prevention report.
Through December, there were 16 building inspections, 24 follow up inspections, two fire finals, one partial/rough inspections and four electronic development application reviews.
Maintenance building update
Harwig said he expects the building will be completed by the end of the month. The board reviewed and unanimously approved draw request No. 9 for $94,014.42. Kerby asked about applying exterior paint with impending cold weather. Petersma said he would ask the builders about this. Harwig expected the final draw request in February.
Sheriff’s Office substation update
Fritsche received the easement regarding the storm drainage pond, stating that the district and county would split the costs of its maintenance, with the district billing the county for its half of the expense. The easement currently does not specify who within the county the district should bill. Kerby said he would follow up with the county to clarify this. The board unanimously approved a motion to approve this easement and submit to the county for signatures pending completion of the missing billing information.
Kerby said the county provided drawings showing a proposal to replace the existing asphalt driveway leading to Station 1 with asphalt. This had not been discussed at the pre-construction meeting. Kerby has requested that this be done with concrete to support the higher weight of the fire trucks and is still waiting to hear back from the county about this. The board unanimously passed a motion to allow Kerby to manage negotiations with the county.
Falcon Fire 50th anniversary celebration
The board discussed commemorative items for the celebration, with a tentative date planned for May.
Stay connected with the Falcon Fire Protection District
- Website: http://www.falconfirepd.org
- Facebook: Falcon Fire Department
- Twitter: @FalconFireDept
- NextDoor.com
