If you are an eligible voter in the district and cannot get in to vote at the polling place on election day you may download and print an application for a mail- in ballot by clicking on the link below. Please return the application to the address listed. After your eligibility has been verified, a ballot will be mailed to you.
Mail ballots will not be mailed out until after April 9, 2010.
The Hartsel Fire Protection District along with South Park True Value will be hosting a
COMMUNITY SAFETY AWARENESS DAY
in Hartsel at Station #1, 86 Valley Avenue
March 13th from 11am until 2pm
Hartsel Fire will be providing invaluable information regarding smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and their importance to your safety. South Park True Value will be offering these detectors on site at a discounted price. For those who do not have the ability to install these detectors, Hartsel Fire volunteers will be offering installation at no charge.
Hartsel Fire Protection District wishes to do everything possible to insure the safety of the citizens of our community. Please stop by and meet your local firefighters and get to know Hartsel Fire.
Remember: When it is time to change your clocks it is time to change the batteries in your detectors. That’s twice a year.
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The May 2nd Open House/Truck Dedication/Community Potluck hosted by Hartsel Fire proved to be very successful with a good community turnout. We would like to thank all who attended and participated in this event. The new rescue truck is officially in service. This truck will be a great asset to the Department and it will service the community for years to come.
A long overdue awards ceremony was held honoring the volunteer firefighters with awards for their training hours. The firefighters also received jackets, shirts and hats. Retired firefighters, Ed Helms and Buzz Steward were honored and received their retirement certificates for years of dedicated service to the Hartsel Fire Protection District.
We finished out the evening with good friends, good food and conversation.
Thank You to the Hartsel Community for your continued support.
AN EMERGENCY FILLED WEEKEND
At 7:06 p.m. on Friday evening, April 17, the call came in to the Hartsel Fire Protection District: a structure fire south of county Road 118. Fire Chief Jay Hutcheson and firefighter volunteers responded, heading fire trucks into a spring blizzard to answer the call. Visibility was no more than a hundred feet, recounted Hutcheson, and his vehicle, the first responder, radioed back to warn the other vehicles about the ditch that he drove into and then out of. As the fire trucks reached the location of the blaze, they were forced to stop long enough to use bolt cutters on the entrance gate, still some two miles of driveway from the burning structures.
Reaching the scene, Hutcheson did a quick initial assessment, noting that four of the seven structures were already well consumed by the fire. The log residence, a log cellar containing solar equipment, a welding workshop and a garage, were all engulfed in flames. Two vehicles parked next to the garage were entered and driven out of the immediate vicinity. The firefighters set to work to save the other three structures. Another small log structure about a half-mile distant, but on the same property, could not be reached through the snow accumulation and also burned down.
The firefighters were quickly made aware of dangerous hazards, not usual for an accidental house fire, so investigators were summoned to the scene. There were twelve 55-gallon drums of grease, a number of propane gas containers, acetylene and oxygen bottles and dozens of smaller propane bottles, as well as a dozen five-gallon jerry cans full of gasoline. In the midst of the race to save the structures that had not yet caught fire, three of the firefighter volunteers suddenly turned and began to run. One of the 55-gallon drums of grease then exploded, sending a hundred-foot mushroom cloud into the air and knocking the three firefighters to the ground. None were seriously hurt.
The remaining three buildings–two barns and a Quonset hut–as well as an old school bus that was used for storage, were getting under control. Chief Hutcheson then noticed the whining and frenzied behavior of an old lab-mix dog who kept trying to go into the Quonset hut. The Fire Chief and Deputy Officer Rick Paige cautiously entered the structure. They found the owner of the property sitting in a chair, and a check of vital signs indicated that he had expired. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Park County Coroner were notified.
Firefighters from Southern Park County and Lake George districts provided mutual aid assistance. All the fire equipment was hampered by the weather and snow-covered roads, although a snowplow from Colorado State Parks did some initial road clearing and Park County Road and Bridge later sent a snowplow to clear the roads for better access.
Two HFPD firefighter volunteers remained on the scene overnight to monitor the ‘hot spots’ insuring that the fire would not start up again. Two deputies from the sheriff’s department stayed the night as well, so that any evidential integrity would not be compromised. At 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, six HFPD firefighter volunteers returned to the scene in three fire trucks to suppress any remaining ‘hot spots.’ After four hours of additional work, they were finally able to leave the scene.
Hutcheson added to the experience—horrifying for even a veteran firefighter—as he told of the power outage back at the fire station that was widespread throughout the county, making maintenance of trucks and gear difficult. And then, in mid-afternoon, another emergency call required HFPD response to a tragic vehicle rollover accident on Highway 24 between Hartsel and Antero Junction. Special equipment was used to extricate one of the parties from the vehicle before he could be transported to a hospital.
Hutcheson commented that few weekends are filled with back-to-back emergencies like these, but firefighter volunteers and all the others who routinely provide mutual aid assistance, rose to the challenge, as they expect to when they are called.
CLICK ON LINKS BELOW FOR PHOTOS:
lee-fire-138 lee-fire-151 lee-fire-161 lee-fire-201
In March ‘09, Hartsel Fire sent 3 firefighters to Dunbar, Wisconsin for 3 days of Advanced Ice Rescue Training. Below are some photos of that training. All Hartsel Fire members are trained in Intermediate Ice Rescue Training every year at Antero and Eleven-Mile Reservoirs.
Thanks to Assistant Chief, Pete Belair and Captain, Gene Balicki for the many long hours they have dedicated to getting this truck built and ready for service. It is almost ready to be introduced into the fleet. We will be dedicating Rescue 7-1 at the Hartsel Fire Open House on May 2, 2009.
In 2008 Hartsel Fire purchased its first truck ever to be dedicated strictly to rescue. We obtained a loan for $242,000 to purchase the truck and equipment, including all the tools necessary for rescue. It was determined by the Board and truck committee to build the truck “in-house” with the use of volunteer labor in specialized areas. We have designed a spreadsheet to track expenses as not to exceed the $242,000 allocated. To purchase the truck “ready-to-drive” with tools and equipment would have cost appx. $50,000 more.
Also in 2008 we refinanced an earlier lease at a lower interest rate. The difference in the interest rate was money gained and was used to pay other debts.
In 2008 Hartsel Fire managed to recover financially from expenses incurred due to the embezzlement and related costs. The only money owed by Hartsel Fire at this time is for fire equipment. We are looking forward to developing a new 5-year plan that will enhance the protection and services to the people of the District. We have been through a devastating period of Hartsel Fire history. We have taken steps to insure that this never happens again. We would like the public to know that these unfortunate events never affected our service to the community. We have continued to recruit volunteers and obtain new equipment and we will continue to keep the taxpayers’ interest foremost.
We appreciate the continued support of the people in our community and we pledge to continue to provide them with the best service possible.