South Metro Fire Rescue

Last updated

South Metro Fire Rescue
South Metro Fire Rescue Authority Maltese.jpg
Operational area
Country Flag of the United States.svg United States
State Flag of Colorado.svg Colorado
Counties Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties
Agency overview [1]
Annual calls43,026 (2019) [2]
Employees725 (2020) [3]
Annual budget$148,820,106 (2020) [3]
StaffingCareer
Fire chief Bob Baker
EMS level ALS
IAFF 2086
Facilities and equipment [1]
Battalions5
Stations 30
Engines 23
Quints
Rescues 1
Ambulances 19
Tenders 6
HAZMAT 2
Airport crash 3
Wildland
Rescue boats 2
Website
Official website
IAFF website

South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) is a fire protection district which provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the municipalities of Bow Mar, Castle Pines, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Columbine Valley, Foxfield, Greenwood Village, Littleton, Lone Tree, Parker, portions of Aurora and unincorporated portions of Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties in Colorado. The area South Metro serves is 287 square miles (740 square kilometers) in size with a population of more than 540,000. [1] [4] [5]

Contents

South Metro Fire Rescue is an internationally accredited agency with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) and holds an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification Class 1 rating. [6] The district operates teams specializing in aircraft rescue and firefighting, bike medics, dive rescue, hazardous materials, incident management team, SWAT medic, technical rescue, urban search and rescue, and wildland firefighting. [1]

The district is a product of decades of consolidation between area fire departments since the 1980s including Castle Pines Fire Department, Castlewood Fire Protection District, Cherry Hills Fire Protection District, Cunningham Fire Protection District, Littleton Fire Rescue, Louviers Fire Protection District, North Douglas County Fire Protection District, and Parker Fire Protection District. [7] [8]

History

The origins of the South Metro Fire Rescue name comes from Castlewood Fire Protection District which had petitioned to change its name to South Metro Fire Rescue on December 31, 1998. Prior to South Metro Fire Rescue, Castlewood Fire Protection District began the trend of consolidating with neighboring departments with Castle Pines Fire Department and North Douglas County Fire Protection District in 1986, and Cherry Hills Fire Protection District in 1989. [7]

In 1999, Robert Rinne assumed the fire chief position, [9] and Louviers Fire Protection District agreed to merge with South Metro Fire Rescue effective January 1, 2000. [4]

On January 19, 2006, South Metro Fire Rescue established the Metropolitan Area Communications Center (MetCom) to provide dispatching service for the district. [4] In March 2006, the district achieved international accreditation from the CFAI, a distinction held by only three other agencies in the state at the time. [10]

In April 2007, a report was provided to the district by Emergency Services Consulting Inc. noting a consistent lack of trust between personnel and the fire chief's office and suggested a change in leadership. An example cited by the report included questioning financial decisions made in purchasing four firetrucks whereas the apparatus committee suggested only purchasing one. By June, four members of South Metro Fire Rescue's leadership, including Chief Robert Rinne, had stepped down and Fire Marshall Mike Dell'Orfano assumed the position of acting chief. [9] [11] In October 2007, Parker Fire Protection District Chief Dan Qualman assumed the role of interim chief of South Metro Fire Rescue as a study began on consolidating operations with Parker Fire Protection District. [12] The study was completed in March 2008 and found that a consolidation of departments would result in tax savings and better services. [13] [14] The two districts voted to consolidate on April 24, 2008 and began working together on May 1, 2008 as a single authority governed by the two boards of directors, the largest merger between two entities in Colorado at the time. [13] [15] On January 5, 2016, Parker Fire Protection District and South Metro Fire Rescue merged into a single district. [16]

In January 2015, Chief Dan Qualman retired and Bob Baker assumed the position of fire chief for the district. [17]

In November 2017, South Metro Fire Rescue and Cunningham Fire Protection District agreed to form a new joint fire authority to join the two districts together effective January 1, 2018. [4] [18] On January 1, 2019, South Metro's authority was expanded to include areas of the Highlands Ranch Metropolitan District, Littleton Fire Protection District, and City of Littleton that were previously covered by Littleton Fire Rescue, a department with history that dates back to 1890. As a result of the expansion, South Metro became the second largest fire district in Colorado. [4] [8] [19] The authority was dissolved in May 2020 after redistricting of the board of directors and subsequent election allowed for voter representation from the newly added areas. [20]

On January 1, 2018, South Metro received an ISO Class 1 rating after previously holding a Class 3 rating, and is notable for being the first agency in the United States to achieve a Class 1 rating in areas without a fire hydrant that would require water tenders to respond. [6] [21]

Stations and apparatus

Fire station number [22] Location [22] Engine Company [lower-alpha 1] Ladder Company or Tower Company [lower-alpha 1] Medic Unit [lower-alpha 1] Command Unit [lower-alpha 1] Brush Unit [lower-alpha 2] Tender Unit [lower-alpha 2] Special Unit [lower-alpha 2] Battalion
112255 W Berry Ave, LittletonEngine 11Medic 112
126529 S Broadway, LittletonLadder 12Medic 12Battalion Chief 2Rehab 12 [lower-alpha 3] 2
136290 W Coal Mine Ave, Columbine Engine 13Medic 132
146600 S Colorado Blvd, CentennialEngine 14Medic 14 (15)Brush 143
152702 E Dry Creek Rd, Centennial2
168119 Blakeland Dr, Douglas CountyEngine 16Medic 16Battalion Chief 1Dive 161
179554 S University Blvd, Highlands Ranch Engine 17Medic 17Brush 17Hazmat 172
18401 Timbervale Trail, Highlands RanchTower 18Medic 18Safety 181
198490 Trailmark Pkwy, LittletonEngine 19Brush 191
201801 E Wildcat Reserve Pkwy, Highlands RanchEngine 20Brush Engine 20Wildland Utility 20 [lower-alpha 4] 2
212250 S Emporia St, Arapahoe CountyEngine 21
  • Medic 21
  • Medic 211
Brush 215
2216758 E Smoky Hill Rd, CentennialEngine 22Battalion Chief 5Brush 22Fan 22 [lower-alpha 5] 5
235405 S Riviera Way, CentennialEngine 23Medic 235
315901 S Havana St, Greenwood VillageEngine 31Medic 31Dive 315
325945 S Quebec St, CentennialTower 32Medic 32Battalion Chief 33
337281 E Dry Creek Rd, CentennialEngine 33Medic 33Brush 333
348871 Maximus Dr, Lone TreeTower 34Medic 34
  • District Chief 1
  • MED 1
Tender 34Rescue 343
3512080 E Briarwood Ave, Dove Valley Tower 35Safety 35
  • Red 1
  • Red 3
5
36421 E Castle Pines Pkwy, Castle PinesEngine 36Medic 36Brush 361
375701 S University Blvd, Greenwood VillageEngine 153
382460 E Quincy Ave, Cherry Hills VillageEngine 38Hazmat 383
39475 W Happy Canyon Rd, Castle Pines Village Engine 39Brush Engine 39Tender 39Wildland Utility 39 [lower-alpha 4] 1
4010297 N Chatfield Dr, Douglas CountyEngine 40Brush Engine 40Tender 401
4110795 S Pine Dr, ParkerEngine 41Medic 41Battalion Chief 4Brush Engine 41Tender 41Wildland Utility 41 [lower-alpha 4] 4
427320 S Parker Rd, FoxfieldEngine 42Medic 42Brush 425
438165 N Pinery Pkwy, The Pinery Engine 43Brush 434
4412625 E Lincoln Ave, Meridian Engine 44Medic 44Red 24
4516801 Northgate Dr, Stonegate Tower 45Tender 45Collapse 454
4619310 Stroh Rd, ParkerEngine 46Medic 46Brush 46Tender 464
4711685 Tomahawk Rd, Douglas CountyEngine 47Brush 474
HQ9195 E Mineral Ave, CentennialARM 37IDT 2 [lower-alpha 1] IDT11
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Staffed full-time
  2. 1 2 3 Cross-staffed with personnel from another unit in that station
  3. ↑ Staffed when needed by Arapahoe Rescue Patrol
  4. 1 2 3 Not staffed
  5. 1 2 Trailer

Notable incidents

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "2019 South Metro Fact Sheet" (PDF). South Metro Fire Rescue. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  2. ↑ "2019 Annual Response Report" (PDF). South Metro Fire Rescue. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "2020 Budget" (PDF). South Metro Fire Rescue. January 31, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Who We Are" (PDF). South Metro Fire Rescue. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  5. ↑ "District Facts, Information, & Plans". South Metro Fire Rescue. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Accreditation and ISO Rating". South Metro Fire Rescue. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  7. 1 2 "South Metro Fire Rescue Authority Standards of Cover" (PDF). South Metro Fire Rescue. June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Costello, Tom; Hurst, Eric (December 31, 2018). Littleton Firefighting - A New Era (Videotape). South Metro Fire Rescue. Retrieved June 18, 2020– via YouTube.
  9. 1 2 Thompson, Stephanie (May 3, 2007). "Fire chief retires after two decades of service" . Colorado Community Media. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  10. ↑ Jones, Peter (March 23, 2006). "South Metro Fire receives international accreditation" . Colorado Community Media. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  11. ↑ Nicholson, Kieran (June 9, 2007). "Exodus at South Metro Fire Rescue". The Denver Post. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  12. ↑ Wiebold, Terri (November 1, 2007). "Changes at South Metro Fire Rescue". The Connection. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  13. 1 2 Nicholson, Kieran (April 24, 2008). "Southern fire districts join forces". The Denver Post. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  14. ↑ Wiebold, Terri (April 1, 2008). "Consolidation Study Complete South Metro Fire Rescue and Parker Fire Look to Merge". The Connection. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  15. ↑ Michlewicz, Chris (May 1, 2008). "Parker fire, South Metro finalize plan to merge" . Colorado Community Media. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Amended 2016 Budget" (PDF). South Metro Fire Rescue. January 25, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  17. ↑ Woullard, Clayton (August 5, 2014). "South Metro Fire Rescue Authority chief steps down after 28 years". The Denver Post. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  18. ↑ Eckmann, Kristin (November 17, 2017). "South Metro Fire Rescue and Cunningham Fire Protection District Merge" (Press release). Centennial, Colorado: South Metro Fire Rescue. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  19. ↑ Morfitt, Karen (January 1, 2019). "Littleton Fire Department Joins Forces With South Metro Fire Rescue". CBS Denver. Littleton, Colorado. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  20. ↑ Gilbert, David (May 10, 2020). "South Metro Fire now overseen by elected board" . Colorado Community Media. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Fireline Special Edition 2018". Fireline. Vol. 18. Centennial, Colorado: South Metro Fire Rescue. 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  22. 1 2 "Fire Stations". South Metro Fire Rescue. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  23. ↑ Hurst, Eric; Wist, Connor (May 8, 2019). STEM School Shooting - Vlog 15 (Videotape). South Metro Fire Rescue. Retrieved July 26, 2020– via YouTube.
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