NEDERLAND — The Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD) Board of Directors met on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, to report the success of recent fundraising efforts, welcome the newest employees of the District, and discuss a complicated hydrant situation involving Sugarloaf Fire and the City of Boulder.

But first, Directors were updated on the recent porta-potty fire in Chipeta Park. 

Chief’s report

Chief Charlie Schmidtmann delivered his monthly report, in which he highlighted some of the 35 calls of significance that have occurred since mid-March, including several motor vehicle and motorcycle accidents in Boulder Canyon, a car fire off the Peak to Peak Highway, and six illegal campfires. 

Schmidtmann included a few details about the Chipeta Park fire which occurred at half past two in the morning on April 8. 

“When I got there, there was nothing left of the porta-potties, it was just the fire,” Schmidtmann explained. “We were pretty fortunate because there was really dry grass around the area and it was right next to a tree, but crews got there really quick and got the fire out.” 

Fire Marshal Andrew Joslin also noted the District’s luck concerning the conditions surrounding the fire, mentioning that the wind picked up that morning and could have spread the fire further if the situation had not been called in and responded to so quickly. 

Though Joslin had stated—in response to questions about why arson was being considered—that porta-potties are not known to spontaneously combust, the Fire Marshal was still required to sift through the fire wreckage to determine a cause and locate any evidence.

It was reported that Joslin was actively seeking replacement for some of his tools used to sift through the human refuse. 

Currently, there is a criminal investigation underway, with Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) enlisting their detectives to pursue a Class 2 Felony Arson. BCSO Sergeant Jennifer Mendez told The Mountain-Ear that Nederland deputies have been doing extra patrols, especially during their night shifts, since the Chipeta Park fire. 

“We have noticed increased visitors and campers in the area for quite some time due to the warm weather and have been proactive in enforcing traffic, parking, and camping violations,” Sergeant Mendez said. 

Who pays for it? 

Schmidtmann provided the Board with an update on his recent work assessing a fire hydrant out on Cold Springs which is owned by the City of Boulder. Despite a maintenance contract existing between the District and the City, Schmidtmann’s assessment revealed some valves in need of repair—a $4,200 job that leaves the Chief wondering who will bear the burden of the cost. 

The NFPD has been tapping John Winchester of the Sugarloaf Fire Protection District for his “wealth of knowledge” on the hydrant situation, which Schmidtmann described as a “crazy setup.” 

“There are multiple vaults,” Schmidtmann explained, “one is about five feet off the road, and then at least 400 feet up the hill, up a driveway and past a gate, there are two more vaults. Vault one pumps the water up to vault two, which pumps the water into vault three—which is the cistern—and then it comes down the hill into another valve, and then it goes to the fire hydrant. It is a big deal.”

Schmidtmann hypothesized that the system was set up in such a way to prevent firefighters from accidentally contaminating the City of Boulder’s drinking water supply when spraying firefighting foam. 

After inspecting the vaults and cistern, it was determined that several valves were in dire need of maintenance. However, Schmidtmann provided some insight regarding Sugarloaf’s prior issues with getting the City of Boulder to actively pay for any of the repair work. 

It was revealed that the City of Boulder is currently two years behind in making annual payments to the NFPD under their maintenance contract for the Cold Springs area, totaling $4,000 that is owed to the District—just $200 short of the projected cost for the hydrant maintenance. 

A warm welcome from the community! 

The NFPD announced two new hires: the District’s newest Wildland Coordinator, Tim Hohnbaum; and new PRN Paramedic, Colin Stenhouse. 

Hohnbaum joins the District from Routt County and is set to fill the role, of leading all of NFPD’s wildland deployments. Though he has received his uniform, business cards, a desk, and a phone line, there has been some difficulty supplying Hohnbaum with a vehicle, as the one which he was to use is currently suffering from an exhaust leak that revealed a further “can of worms.” 

“So, we gave Tim a truck and then we quickly took it away from him,” Schmidtmann joked. 

Stenhouse has worked for American Medical Response in Boulder and comes to the District as a “single resource paramedic” who can be sent on national deployments. Stenhouse has been training closely with Captain Glen Wheelock and has already worked two shifts.

Community support 

And just in time to give these new recruits a warm welcome, District Administrator Sherry Snyder reported the immense success of Very Nice Brewing Company’s (VNBC) Chili Cook-Off, which was held on April 12 as a fundraiser for both the NFPD and Timberline Fire Protection District. 

Snyder stated that there was a “huge turnout,” resulting in a line out the door of Very Nice’s Gilpin taproom. 263 cups and 29 bowls of chili were sold, raising $1,694 in total funds—$847 for each of the fire Districts. The NFPD Auxiliary also raised an additional $120 in T-shirt sales. 

Many thanks were given to Jeff and Susan Green of VNBC, and to the members of the Auxiliary for their assistance in organizing the event.