The president of the board of directors for the Boulder Rural Fire Protection District says that the possible contracting of fire services to Boulder Fire Rescue is a way to maintain the level of service to people in the district as costs continue to rise.
"We want to make sure we can continue to deliver a quality product," board President Eric Harris said. "The financial thing is part of it, but the primary thing is we want to provide the service we think we should be providing."
The board met with officials from Boulder Fire Rescue on Thursday night to discuss the possible contract. People on both sides said it's likely multiple meetings are necessary, and the date any agreement would take effect is unclear.
The board is convening again on Monday for its regularly scheduled meeting, but a second meeting expressly for the purpose of discussing a possible contract is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sept. 11 at the district's Gunbarrel headquarters. Both meetings are open to the public.
Harris said that between the cost of paying personnel and buying new equipment — the district is also still paying off its $4.6 million headquarters at $325,000 a year — the district might have to start dipping into its reserves or going to voters for another mill levy increase.
The district is already postponing the purchase of some equipment, and new equipment will continue to become more expensive, he said. He added that it's unlikely that the district will be able to afford standing alone heading into the future while still maintaining the level of service it currently provides.
"It takes over $600,000 to buy a new engine," he said. "If we project out, in the next seven years, we could be paying close to $1 million for one piece of equipment. Given our revenue we are generating, that becomes almost a quarter (of a yearly budget)."
Doug Engle lives in the Heatherwood subdivision, which is covered by Boulder Rural, and he also volunteered with the department for several years. He is worried the deal will negatively impact the quality of service.
"It's been a part of the community with volunteers and now with paid members for almost 60 years," he said. "The current firefighters know the community they serve."
Engle said he is also concerned about the jobs of the 17 professional firefighters who work in the district alongside volunteers.
Boulder Fire Rescue and the board of directors are set to hammer out details surrounding things such as response times and staffing requirements, but there are no guarantees that the professionals will keep their jobs.
A representative of the union that represents those firefighters declined to comment, but Harris said that even if the district contracts fire services out to Boulder, it will still be necessary to have firefighters covering the district.
"The expectation is we are going to need those individuals," he said. "We are still going to need the coverage. ... I'm not anticipating that to be an issue."
John Bear: 303-473-1355, [email protected] or twitter.com/johnbearwithme
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