The Falcon Fire Protection District held its monthly board meeting Aug. 19 at the Falcon Fire Administration Building, 7030 Old Meridian Road. Attending were Joan Fritsche, attorney; Tom Kerby, vice president; Ray Hawkins, treasurer; Steve Podoll, secretary; and Trent Harwig, chief. James Reid, president, and Dan Kupferer, assistant secretary, attended remotely.
July minutes
The board unanimously approved the July minutes.
Correspondence
Reid submitted a request to step down as president because of other commitments, but he would like to continue serving on the board. Podoll proposed the following positions:
Kupferer as vice president, Kerby as president, Hawkins as treasurer and Podoll as secretary.
The board unanimously approved the new positions.
Department promotions
Firefighter Tim Wilkerson was promoted to driver/operator, and paramedic Trevor Yant was sworn in by Chief Harwig.
Treasurer’s report
Harwig presented the numbers through July 2026, representing 58.3% of the fiscal year. The General Fund was at 58% of anticipated revenues, with total expenses at 53% of expected expenditures.
The Ambulance Transport Fund was at 49% of anticipated revenues, with total expenses at 45% of expected expenditures.
The Capital Project Fund had received 50% of expected revenues, with total expenses at 47% of expected expenditures. The ladder truck and engine are expected within the next 30 days.
The Rural Water Fund had no new activity and was under budget. The board unanimously approved the report.
Staff report
Deputy Chief Jeff Petersma presented the June 2026 operations report. There were 351 calls in June. For the year, there had been 2,101 calls, of which 1,711 were district calls.
Hawkins asked about the frequency of mutual aid provided to the Ellicott Fire Department and whether this was an issue. Petersma said Ellicott currently receives aid from two fire departments, including Falcon, and AMR, and has plans to move toward an exclusively fire-based EMS transport system. The department also plans to train its own paramedics. However, Petersma said it currently appears unlikely that Ellicott has the capacity to operate its own full-time EMS transport service.
Petersma said the overall volume of calls and transports added is still relatively small. Harwig said it is also a source of additional revenue.
EMS Chief Jon Webb presented the EMS report. In July, there were 177 transports, with an average cash per trip of $583.06. Year to date, there were 1,022 total transports, with an average of $687.38 in cash per trip. The 24-month totals showed 3,532 transports, with an average cash per trip of $670.74. Including Medicaid reimbursement, the average cash per trip was $802.37.
Lt. Curtis Kauffman presented the Fire Prevention Report. In July, there were 11 building inspections, eight follow-up inspections, four partial/rough/final fire inspections, one preconstruction meeting for Bent Grass East Commercial with Joe Letke and the owners, and nine electronic development application reviews.
2027 budget process
Fritsche presented the budget timetable to the board and said the preliminary budget will be presented during the October board meeting, with plan approval slated for the December board meeting.
Training center site updates
The district has received approval from the county to use the site and is currently working on site design plans to submit for approval. The board is currently planning for completion by the end of 2027.
Petersma told the board he had conducted preliminary interviews with seven training tower vendors.
Wildfire Resiliency Code
Harwig said the district plans to submit paperwork to the state in the next couple of months stating that it will not adopt the code.
The board moved to cancel the Sept. 9 meeting unless notified by Sept. 4. The motion unanimously passed.
FFPD
719-495-4050
7030 Old Meridian Road
falconfire@falconfirepd.org
