The Peyton Fire District Board of Directors met July 8 and unanimously approved a plan to lower the Insurance Services Online rating for the district.It was the board’s third meeting since the May 6 election, which seated two new members: Jody Heffner and Rob Finley.The plan, presented by director Steve Whitaker, focuses on five priorities:
- Training: Maintain the current program, which trains new recruits to Firefighter I and EMT (emergency medical technician) by the end of two years, and develop the district’s recertification program.
- Modernization: Get a new ambulance, command vehicle and communication equipment by the end of 2008. Install GPS (global navigation satellite system) equipment in all vehicles by the end of March 2009.
- Personnel: Hire a full-time paid fire chief by the end of March 2009, and increase the volunteer staff, currently at 17, to 20 by June 2009.
- Facilities: Refurbish the main fire station. “We need to concentrate on this station and not worry about a south station or a north station right now,” Whitaker said. “We don’t have the money for it (new stations) and we won’t have it for four or five years.”
- Achieve an ISO rating of six by the end of 2009.
Whitaker said the district received a $5,000 grant from Farmers State Bank, and the district’s application for an $85,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant to purchase a new brush truck is still pending.An ISO rating of six will fall into place when we complete the other four priorities, Whitaker said. “I guarantee that it’s going to happen within a year or so,” he said.”ISO six is more realistic once we have a central water system,” said Jim Frass, district volunteer fire chief. “I can set you up to lower it to an eight in a couple of weeks, but it’s more realistic if we have a central water system that we can pull from, rather than driving 10 miles to replenish water.””As an advocate for ISO, I like the plan,” said one audience member. “We need the chief. If that means the ISO rating to lower my insurance happens in 2009 or 2010, OK. I just want assurances that it’s in the plan to take care of it.””What the voters wanted was a new paid chief and ISO six,” Finley said. “I make a motion that we accept the priorities as written and move forward on them.””We promised voters we would lower their ISO rating,” Heffner said before the unanimous vote. “I think the direction you’re [Whitaker] going is exactly what we need to do. We’re here for the people and what they want. I want to make sure we do what the voters want.”Finley presented plans to upgrade the district’s office building with four individual bunkers “so the firefighters don’t have to sleep on the station floor when pulling long shifts,” he said.Obstacles to the plan include lead paint and possible asbestos in the cinder block used to build the structure. Plus the regional building department may require the entire building to be upgraded to current code.Frass resigned his position as temporary volunteer chief, effective July 31. He cited the need to attend to family matters in another state. His resignation sparked a discussion on how to attract candidates for the position.Audience member Kim Thorpe said the district had been advertising the position in “The Ranchland News” for several months and has received no applicants.The board scheduled a special executive session July 22 to review their options.They also discussed the recommendation that developers install sprinkler systems for new residential construction. The board tabled the idea until they decide which parts of the international fire code they will adopt.Audience member George Squier offered the district the use of his pond in the Blue Springs development. According to Colorado law, anybody can access that water for a fire, Squier said.Former board member Alice Levering asked for an update on Santa Fe Springs.Early this year, the district challenged the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners’ decision to override the district’s refusal to exclude 676 acres in the Santa Fe Springs development from the Peyton fire district. “District court is still mulling that over,” Whitaker said.Heffner talked about community involvement.”We need the input from everybody in this community,” Heffner said. “I appreciate everybody that’s here today. We’re going to make changes, and we need your support and your help.”
