GOLDEN GATE CANYON - The Golden Gate Canyon Fire Protection District Board approved a financial request policy during a regular meeting on October 23, 2025.

Board members present for the meeting were Deb Curlee, president, and Mike Sever, treasurer. Karla Grahn, secretary, attended online and Dave Primmer was excused.

Marith Reheis, vice president, attended online from the Mohave Desert.

The Board approved the September 25, 2025, meeting minutes. Sever introduced a policy on billing questions from financial reports.

Financial request policy

Sever said he sent the policy to the Board regarding future financial inquiries. The Board Meeting is not the place to discuss them, he said, so they should be sent to the treasurer in writing and the treasurer will respond as soon as the treasurer can track down the information.

In this proposed policy there is no intention of discouraging requests.

The Board approved the motion for financial inquiries not specific to the treasurer reports at the meeting that day be sent to the treasurer, who has adequate time for a response.

Budget detail

The Budget committee of Reheis, Sever, and Fire Chief Kyle Benson reported on the Proposed 2026 Budget.

Benson said they will go off the current budget and look at actual expenditures to meet the future budget. He thanked Bookkeeper Chris Creech for his work.

Benson said they have software for tablets for firefighters and officers. The fleet is aging, and therefore they are starting to have a lot of problems with the trucks. They are requesting $34,000 for vehicle maintenance.

“We have an immediate need to replace a fire truck,” Benson said. They are requesting $100,000 to replace that truck. It was pointed out that that’s not enough to buy a new fire truck, but it would be possible to buy a used truck.

Benson noted that they don’t have much choice. “It will take a large portion of our capital,” he said, “and hopefully we will get a 50 percent grant.”

Station 83 needs improvements to address the ditch. and they are requesting $4,000 for a chipper. Reheis said the taxes arrive in November, so the Board will vote on the budget in December.

Chief’s report

Chief Benson reported that Jefferson County remains without a fire ban; however, there have been several Red Flag days and fire weather watches over the past week.

GGFPD fire mitigation staff have begun meeting with their counterparts at Jefferson County with positive results. The County is continuing to expand hiring within its mitigation division, and there appear to be opportunities for joint training with their fuels module in November.

Chief Benson attended the first Wildland Fire Commission meeting of the 2026–2027 cycle alongside County leadership.

Jeffco Open Space is planning to burn the large slash piles at White Ranch when conditions are favorable during the winter months. GGFPD and Jeffco OS will provide notification through social media channels when those burns are scheduled.

As we approach pile-burning season, the Chief asked that everyone please ensure all appropriate permits and inspections are completed with both GGFPD and Jefferson County prior to igniting slash piles.

The Wildfire Mitigation Division Committee continues to make significant progress. All five initial applicants to the division have successfully passed background checks and are officially integrated into the organization’s structure.

The District is currently accepting additional community applications for mitigation division positions through October 31.

As many have noticed, storage containers were placed at Stations 81 and 82 at the end of last month. These containers will serve as permanent storage for the UTVs at each station. The District has received several comments regarding their color and want to reassure nearby residents that the containers will be painted to match the respective stations.

The District’s workers’ compensation, property, and liability policies have been updated for 2026. These updates include coverage for new staff members in the mitigation division.

Station 82 experienced a temporary loss of heat earlier this month due to a bird obstructing the furnace motor—an issue that has occurred several times before. A grate will be installed over the intake to prevent animals from entering.

As part of critical infrastructure improvements, the District is also evaluating options for adding a secondary heating system for the station’s living quarters.

Call volume remains on the lower side for the year, with 71 calls to date. There is an average response time of 16 minutes or less from dispatch to arrival, with an average of four or more responders per call.

Engine 81 was taken out of service due to a steering pump malfunction. Repairs are being handled by a mobile mechanic who will also perform annual routine maintenance on all heavy apparatus as the District finalizes an agreement with the City of Golden Fleet Services.

There currently is an operational staff of 26, including two who serve dual roles as operational and support staff, and two single-role support staff.

Additionally, five single-role mitigation staff bring our total personnel to 32. We currently have one staff member on active-duty military leave.

The completion of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) was delayed to allow for additional review of final documents. The final community presentation will be offered virtually on November 10.

The next event at the Grange will be Trunk or Treat, starting at 5 p.m. on October 31. For more information, go to www.goldengategrange.com or www.goldengatefire.colorado.gov.

The next regular Board Meeting will be November 20, 2025, at 7 p.m. at the Grange, 25201 Golden Gate Canyon Road, Golden.