The Falcon Fire Protection District held its regular monthly board meeting Sept. 16. All board members were present. Fire Chief Trent Harwig was out of town.Treasurerís reportDeputy Chief Jeff Petersma reported that expenditures were at 56 percent, with 66 percent of the fiscal year complete as of Aug. 31. Petersma said some large expenditures will occur in the fourth quarter, as the district typically waits to make larger purchases later in the year to ensure adequate funds are available.Rural Water FundPetersma reported a $22,102 balance in the Rural Water Fund, following the purchase and installation of a 30,000-gallon cistern in the Black Forest Reserve. He said the district is obtaining an estimate to make improvements to an existing cistern at Apex Ranch. The cistern is in Peytonís fire district, close to the FFPD boundary, making it usable by both fire districts. However, its connections need to be modified for fire apparatus to pump water from the cistern.Station 3 exhaust systemPetersma said the Plymovent system has been installed at Station 3 but is awaiting further electrical work. He said the new system relies on sensors mounted on the vehicles to activate and deactivate the exhaust system. Previous versions of the system used exhaust pressure, but that pressure is lower in newer vehicles because of more stringent emissions standards. Petersma said new sensors and associated hardware for Station 1 will be budgeted next year to accommodate the new sensor type system.Incident statisticsAs of Aug. 31, the district responded to 1,308 incidents, two more than the same period in 2014. An additional 24 alarms in District 4 were handled by the Colorado Springs Fire Department under the existing Memorandum of Understanding between the city and the FFPD. These alarms are currently not counted as part of the districtís total number of incidents, but provide some insight regarding the call volume anticipated for Station 4. Station 4Director Dan Kupferer said the property owner of a site northwest of Constitution Avenue and Marksheffel Road has declined the districtís offer (the FFPD had submitted a letter of intent). The board is continuing to evaluate options for a suitable building site for Station 4. Kupferer said, ìWeíre interested in what is the best deal for the district.î
