The members of the Falcon Fire Protection District would like to wish everyone a peaceful, joyous and safe holiday season, and a prosperous new year.The Falcon Fire Protection District held its regular board meeting Nov. 21. All board members were present.Six lateral transfer candidates were sworn in as reserve firefighters by Chief Trent Harwig.Vacant board seatApplicant Mike Collins withdrew his name from consideration for the vacant board position.The board conducted brief public interviews with applicants Henry D. Allen Jr. and Dick Stuart. After discussing the candidates’ qualifications in executive session, the board announced that Allen would fill the vacancy. Kelly Starkman, board president, said the decision was difficult since both candidates have much to offer the district. He thanked Stuart for his past service to FFPD, as well as his continued support. Allen then took the oath of office.Treasurer’s reportBudget expenditures are on track, with 83 percent of the fiscal year complete.Chief’s reportReserve Emergency Medical Service personnel logged about 400 hours of standby time over the past month.Current membership stands at 57 total members (31 paid and 26 volunteer).FFPD is planning to conduct training academies for lateral transfer personnel twice a year. Because lateral transfer candidates already have firefighting and EMS experience and certifications, they donít require as much training. Holding two academies per year also allows each training lieutenant to lead a training academy.Carbon monoxide is a big issue this time of year, so training has been focused on response to carbon monoxide calls.The training division is conducting post-action reviews for significant incidents such as structure fires or serious traffic accidents. The reviews highlight what went right and what could have been done better for each incident, providing valuable input for developing training topics.Lt. David Smithís term in the training division will end in early February. Training division Chief Glenn Levy said Smithís performance has been ìstellarî and he has brought a high level of passion to the job. Levy also said the FFPD has benefitted greatly from the training lieutenant program. Smith called his time in the training division ìan invaluable experience.îIn the past 30 days, FFPD has hosted 19 community meetings in its meeting rooms, seven station tours, 14 presentations for the second-grade program and four community CPR classes. The next CPR class is Dec. 5.FFPD has begun determining GPS coordinates for all fire hydrants in the district. The data will be entered in the on-board computer systems for district apparatus. Hydrants and other water supply resources are already marked on hard-copy maps carried in department vehicles, as is information on target hazards.Strategic plan updatePhillip Theodore, board director, said the districtís plan to pay off Station 1 by 2015 will save six figures in interest.The board discussed options to continue the long-term growth of FFPDís training program. Theodore described the current training program as ìexceptional.îìFirefighters are excited about it. I’ve heard nothing but good things,î he said. Director Heule agreed and emphasized the importance of a comprehensive training program. ìTraining is safety,î he said. However, existing facilities limit the amount and type of training firefighters can do. ìWe can only train so much with what we have,î Harwig said. The board requested that specific immediate and long-term training needs be identified and a budget developed for funding those needs.2013 budgetThe board continued discussion of 2013 budget items. The budget will be finalized at the next meeting Dec. 12.
