Elk Creek Fire candidates talk consolidation, budgets, volunteerism

Candidates for the Elk Creek Fire Protection District board of directors provided insight into their stances on some of the issues affecting the district at a candidates forum on April 6.

In 90 minutes, five of the six candidates answered six questions focusing on whether Elk Creek should consolidate with the North Fork and Inter-Canyon fire departments, strategic plans, department resources and budgets.

The forum was hosted by the Canyon Courier and My Mountain Town. Questions came from Canyon Courier editors and members of the public, who submitted questions in advance.

Participating were incumbents Chuck Newby and Sharon Woods, and newcomers Dominique Devaney, Debra MacPhee and Todd Wagner. Shannon Peterson, also a candidate for a seat on the board, was unable to attend.

The candidates also will be available to talk with constituents before and after the Conifer Area Council Town Hall meeting from 7-8 p.m. April 19 at West Jefferson Middle School.

The election will be in-person from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, at Elk Creek Fire Station 1. The top three vote-getters will serve four-year terms on the board.

Anyone who wants to vote by absentee ballot must request the ballot in writing by April 25 to the fire district’s designated election officer by using the form available at elkcreekfpd.colorado.gov/transparency/elections. Directions for getting the ballot and returning it are on the form.

The candidates

Devaney, the administrative manager for the Evergreen Metro District, said she brings experience with special-district operations to the Elk Creek Fire Protection District. Her husband has been an Elk Creek volunteer firefighter for 14 years, so she understands how the district functions from that perspective.

MacPhee has law and accounting degrees, and while she has no experience with fire departments, she says she would provide homeowners’ perspectives to the board. She said she has financial acumen and knowledge of the area to help her in decision making.

Newby, who has served on the Elk Creek board for a year, said he brings more than 40 years of managing technical teams, including understanding how to read a budget, generate and stick to a budget. His experience includes managing complex situations and measuring performance.

Wagner, a former Elk Creek volunteer firefighter, owns his own business and said he understands financials. He said the district needs to make sure it is not spending more than it needs to while making sure the district runs well.

Woods, who has a master’s degree in finance, has been serving as the Elk Creek Fire board since 2019 and is its treasurer. In 2018, Woods collaborated with the Elk Creek Fire board president on a presentation to the Jeffco Planning Commission on extreme wildfire risk.

Peterson who was unable to attend the candidates forum, grew up in Evergreen and now lives in Conifer. According to his Facebook page, Peterson “understands the unique challenges we face when it comes to fire safety. He is passionate about making sure that we have the resources and infrastructure in place to protect our homes, families and natural beauty.” He says he has strong leadership skills and a deep understanding of the importance of community involvement.

Proposed consolidation

The Elk Creek Fire Protection District is considering whether to consolidate with the North Fork and Inter-Canyon fire departments, and the departments will decide by Sept. 8 whether to put the issue to a vote in November.

The consolidated department would encompass about 400 square miles, and voters in all three fire districts must agree to consolidate and to pay additional property taxes that will balance the rates for all property owners in the new district.

Two candidates generally support consolidation, while three aren’t convinced it’s the right move for the Elk Creek Fire Protection District.

Woods, who serves on Elk Creek’s consolidation committee, said she supports consolidation, saying it would improve emergency response times for everyone in the large district.

“A consolidated department would pool its resources, and there would be no competition for volunteers,” Woods said. “The assets will come from all parts of the district.”

Devaney said on the surface, she supported moving forward with consolidation.

“I have my concerns, but right now my positives outweigh the negatives,” she said. “When we look at consolidating revenue streams, that enables the whole organization to fund necessary capital improvements in a streamlined capacity.”

Wagner said he wasn’t sure about consolidation yet because the information the three fire districts are providing wasn’t complete, adding it was all about cost and benefit for Elk Creek.

Newby said while he wasn’t against consolidation, he did not have enough information to make an informed decision.

“What I am asking for is the real on-the-ground truth of the needs assessment, in terms of a budgetary plan, so we can make a decision,” Newby said. “Right now, community members and voters are not getting that information, and we won’t get that information … because the information is not available.”

MacPhee agreed: “This is a government entity, so we must balance taxpayer resources with the needs of community. When we talk about consolidation, there will be the same assets but with the bigger entity. I’m open to being convinced that consolidation is the right thing to do, but right now, I’m not convinced.”

Shadow Mountain Bike Park

The application for the proposed Shadow Mountain Bike Park has recently been submitted to Jeffco Planning & Zoning, and if approved, Elk Creek would be responsible for emergency medical services in addition to those provided by bike park staff.

The candidates agreed that more calls would tax Elk Creek’s emergency medical services since more calls would cause more EMS personnel to be at multiple calls at once. The bike park proposal is symptomatic of any large development proposed along the U.S. 285 Corridor since it would add more stress to emergency services.

MacPhee suggested that Elk Creek charge fees to the bike park to offset its EMS costs, while Newby added that taxpayers should not have to pay for services that the fire department provides to one business or development.

Wagner did not have an opinion on the EMS services but said he wasn’t in favor of the bike park.

Woods suggested that consolidation would make it easier for a larger district to cover EMS call increases, while Devaney said the big issue for Elk Creek would be transporting patients down the hill to the hospital, which is time consuming.

Budget and strategic plan

The candidates agreed that tracking the department’s budget was crucial and creating a district strategic plan was important. They agreed that replacing fire equipment such as trucks and ambulances was expensive, plus firefighter gear constantly needed upgrading to improve safety, and the fire district needs to plan for those expenditures.

Devaney said her experience with special districts could help improve the district’s investment portfolio, noting that the $5 million the district has in reserves won’t go far when it costs more than $1 million to buy a new fire engine.

MacPhee said she wants to ensure that the fire district is adequately funded to respond to emergencies but without wasteful spending.

Wagner said a strategic plan would keep the district from being short on resources, and citizens needed to be represented in the discussion.

Newby said if he would push for a strict budgetary plan that balances the department’s needs.

Woods said a strategic plan should not just include equipment and vehicles but also personnel to meet the district’s needs.

Recruiting volunteer firefighters

Recruiting volunteer firefighters has been an issue for fire departments nationwide, and Elk Creek is no exception.

The candidates agreed that while paid firefighters, known as career firefighters, can be important, some want to get their training with departments like Elk Creek, then move on to larger fire departments where pay is better.

Newby and MacPhee agreed that reaching out to business owners within the district, especially tradespeople, might be a good way to increase the volunteer firefighter ranks. Those people could more easily leave their jobs in the middle of the day to answer calls.

Wagner suggested creating programs where volunteers specialized in one area of firefighting that interests them rather than going through the training for all areas such as hazardous materials, wildland and structure fires.

“I know people enjoy helping their community and like helping each other,” Wagner said. “We need to tap into that to increase volunteerism.”

Devaney said she believed Chief Jacob Ware has done a good job of finding ways to meet volunteers where they are, while Woods said she didn’t have any firm answers on how to find more volunteers, noting that the population in Conifer is aging, making it more difficult to find volunteers.