Early morning on January 18, 2013, Falcon Fire Department responded to a working structure fire in a detached garage/ work shop, on Smith Road in eastern El Paso County, Colorado. The homeowner was awakened by a loud popping noise coming from his work shop, looked outside to investigate, and called 911. Forced entry was made by cutting out a portion in a roll-up door, using a K-12 Rotary Saw. An aggressive interior attack performed by fire crews brought the fire under control in a timely manner. Water tenders were used for water supply on scene. An El Paso County Sheriffs Office Fire Investigator arrived on scene to determine the cause of the fire. I spoke with Falcon Lt. Corey Kirt, the on scene commander, about this fire incident. Lt. Kirt said fire ground operations went smoothly and the fire was brought under control with approximately 1000 gallons of water. The officer on the first arriving apparatus reported smoke showing from the structure and declared it a working fire. Falcon Fire Protection District responded to this incident with two engine companies and two water tenders for water supply. One tender truck from Ellicott Fire and one tender from Peyton Fire was requested via mutual aid. These two apparatus were staged on scene, but not needed, because of the fire being brought under control with the resources already on scene. The fire was contained to the one structure and thankfully the home on the property was not threatened, due to the quick response of fire crews.
About Falcon Fire Protection District per their website:
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
The Falcon Fire Protection District (FFPD) is comprised entirely of unincorporated areas of El Paso County, Colorado’s most populous county. The District, without any organized towns or cities, is experiencing a rapid growth rate and gains an average of 800 homes and 2,000 new citizens every year.
The Department is governed by a five-member, publicly-elected Board of Directors who serve four-year terms. The Department is managed by a career Fire Chief and three battalion chiefs (one per shift). The Department currently has 26 career firefighter/emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and 8 volunteer-reserve firefighter/EMTs. It also supports a reserve emergency medical services program comprised of 16 EMTs who respond to emergency medical calls.
The Department responds to calls within 116 square miles of unincorporated El Paso County and 17 square miles within the city limits of Colorado Springs. It serves more than 26,000 residents and protects more than 11,000 structures with a market value at more than $3.1 billion.
We respond to about 1,800 calls a year in Falcon. We have one of the highest call volumes of all the fire districts in El Paso County.
All alarm responses are made within an eight minute average for District 1. The Department operates from four stations for the protection of our citizens and businesses.
Our Headquarters Building is on Old Meridian Road.
Station 1, our newest station, is at Meridian Ranch Boulevard and Stapleton Road. It is staffed 24/7 with four firefighters on each of the three shifts.
Station 2, on North Meridian Road in the north end of the District, is not staffed.
Station 6, on Jones Road in the south end of the District, is not staffed.
Station 3 (Also Headquarters) is staffed by two Falcon firefighter/EMTs.
To assure timely responses in outlying areas, select volunteers are equipped to respond directly to the scene of an emergency bringing with them medical supplies, oxygen and automatic defibrillators. All volunteers are issued their own protective equipment and will frequently report directly to the scene of a fire emergency to provide valuable information to responding firefighters and immediate protective actions as required.
FFPD has a new insurance rating (ISO) of 5 for all properties located within five road miles of any of the stations and within 1000 feet of a fire hydrant; an insurance rating of 7 for all properties located within five road miles of any of the stations but beyond 1000 feet of a fire hydrant; and an insurance rating of 10 for properties located outside the five road mile area. The FFPD is supported by a property tax rate of 8.612 mills. The highly efficient volunteer-based combination department saves tax payers thousands of dollars over other full time staffed fire districts in El Paso County; something the board of directors, administrators and firefighters accomplish with a great deal of pride.
The Falcon Fire Protection District proudly serves more than 23,400 citizens. With borders extending from Peyton Highway on the east to County Line Road on the north to Black Forest Road on the west and one mile north of Colorado Highway 94 on the south, our 133-square-mile fire district protects almost 10,000 structures with a market value of more than $2.1 billion. Ninety-four percent of the structures within the District are residential and 6 percent are commercial buildings.
About Falcon Fire Protection District per their website:
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
The Falcon Fire Protection District (FFPD) is comprised entirely of unincorporated areas of El Paso County, Colorado’s most populous county. The District, without any organized towns or cities, is experiencing a rapid growth rate and gains an average of 800 homes and 2,000 new citizens every year.
The Department is governed by a five-member, publicly-elected Board of Directors who serve four-year terms. The Department is managed by a career Fire Chief and three battalion chiefs (one per shift). The Department currently has 26 career firefighter/emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and 8 volunteer-reserve firefighter/EMTs. It also supports a reserve emergency medical services program comprised of 16 EMTs who respond to emergency medical calls.
The Department responds to calls within 116 square miles of unincorporated El Paso County and 17 square miles within the city limits of Colorado Springs. It serves more than 26,000 residents and protects more than 11,000 structures with a market value at more than $3.1 billion.
We respond to about 1,800 calls a year in Falcon. We have one of the highest call volumes of all the fire districts in El Paso County.
All alarm responses are made within an eight minute average for District 1. The Department operates from four stations for the protection of our citizens and businesses.
Our Headquarters Building is on Old Meridian Road.
Station 1, our newest station, is at Meridian Ranch Boulevard and Stapleton Road. It is staffed 24/7 with four firefighters on each of the three shifts.
Station 2, on North Meridian Road in the north end of the District, is not staffed.
Station 6, on Jones Road in the south end of the District, is not staffed.
Station 3 (Also Headquarters) is staffed by two Falcon firefighter/EMTs.
To assure timely responses in outlying areas, select volunteers are equipped to respond directly to the scene of an emergency bringing with them medical supplies, oxygen and automatic defibrillators. All volunteers are issued their own protective equipment and will frequently report directly to the scene of a fire emergency to provide valuable information to responding firefighters and immediate protective actions as required.
FFPD has a new insurance rating (ISO) of 5 for all properties located within five road miles of any of the stations and within 1000 feet of a fire hydrant; an insurance rating of 7 for all properties located within five road miles of any of the stations but beyond 1000 feet of a fire hydrant; and an insurance rating of 10 for properties located outside the five road mile area. The FFPD is supported by a property tax rate of 8.612 mills. The highly efficient volunteer-based combination department saves tax payers thousands of dollars over other full time staffed fire districts in El Paso County; something the board of directors, administrators and firefighters accomplish with a great deal of pride.
The Falcon Fire Protection District proudly serves more than 23,400 citizens. With borders extending from Peyton Highway on the east to County Line Road on the north to Black Forest Road on the west and one mile north of Colorado Highway 94 on the south, our 133-square-mile fire district protects almost 10,000 structures with a market value of more than $2.1 billion. Ninety-four percent of the structures within the District are residential and 6 percent are commercial buildings.
A quick snapshot of the incident as I arrive on scene to photograph fire ground operations.
A quick snapshot of the incident as I arrive on scene to photograph fire ground operations.