RYE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
Long-time Greenhorn Valley resident Alan Walker has submitted a letter of interest to fill the vacancy on the Rye Fire Protection District (RFPD) Board. He attended the monthly meeting on July 24 to meet the board members and give some background on himself.
Walker said he got his start with RFPD as an EMT/Paramedic back in the days when the department was strictly volunteers. He shared that he found his niche there and fell in love with emergency services medicine.
Walker moved way up the ladder from his humble beginnings as a volunteer with RFPD, having owned several ambulance companies, as well as other businesses, and going back to school to become a physician's assistant. He retired this year after working for many years in the medical field.
Walker joked that RFPD paid for his first paramedic class, so he wants to give back to the department.
A motion was made and approved by the RFPD board that Walker fill the vacancy on the board. As per protocol, filling the vacant position will only last until the next election, at which time Walker can run for the position.
Although the board did receive financial documents from the accountant, the auditor has not been provided with the information needed to do the audit for RFPD. An audit extension until September 30 is being applied for but RFPD is not able to get any further extensions after that date.
Fire Chief Bennett reported that there were no fires in the area at this time.
In the month of June, RFPD responded to 73 calls, 65 of which were Emergency Service related and eight were fire related.
Chief Bennett reported that both of RFPD’s ambulances were back in service after needing mechanical repairs. They had borrowed an ambulance from Pueblo West for most of a month while repairs were being done.
The maroon Tahoe is still out of commission as it was involved in a collision with a deer that caused significant front-end damage. It will be sent to the repair shop as soon as they have an opening.
Chief Bennett will be meeting with a grant writer this week. He is hopeful that the writer can assist the department in getting grants for fire safety gear and breathing devices. He and the grant writer will tour the fire stations and discuss what the major needs are.