Monument Fire District, July 24 – Gas odor increases call volume; district recognized for supporting prescribed burn

Gas odor increases calls
District receives recognition
Financial report
2024-25 budget update
Station 3 rebuild update
Merger update
Volunteer Firefighter Pension Plan
Meeting time change
EMS calls

By Natalie Barszcz

At the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District dba Monument Fire District (MFD) meeting on July 24, the board heard about an unprecedented temporary call volume increase, witnessed district recognition for its support, approved the Wescott Fire Protection District (DWFPD) Volunteer Firefighter Pension Plan (VFPP) Affiliation Agreement, a part of the merger process, and a board meeting time change for 2025. The board also received updates on the Station 3 rebuild design, the merger process, and a mechanical CPR device.

President Mike Smaldino and Secretary Jason Buckingham were excused. Director Randall Estes did not attend.

Gas odor increases calls

Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction Jonathan Bradley said the district received an unprecedented increase in calls July 13-14 due to a Black Hills Energy (BHE) failure of the auto injecting Mercaptan (methanethiol, a harmless pungent smelling gas) that odorizes the odorless natural gas was far higher level than recommended. That led to over 70 calls from residents concerned about gas leaks in homes in Woodmoor and other communities from the evening of July 13 onward. BHE crews identified and fixed the problem, but due to low gas usage during the summer, the problem persisted.

BHE purged a gas line north of Kings Deer on the afternoon of July 14 and call volume lowered, but it did not solve the problem. After purging another line near the U.S. Forest Service on the west side of Monument on the morning of July 15, the call volume dropped immediately. The district was receiving calls every 10-15 minutes during the weekend and responding about 2.5 times per hour.

Bradley said 911 Dispatch did a nice job cueing calls, and the district adapted quickly and found some ways to do things better. BHE kept the district informed and was working as hard as they could to resolve the problem, Bradley said. BHE did not put out a statement on its website during the failure in case a real gas leak emergency occurred. The districts’ response was tested and modifications were made to allow crews to respond to the true emergency calls, he said.

Fire Chief Andy Kovacs said he was surprised to learn that a sensor to monitor the Mercaptan level is not in place. The district will set up a time for an after-action review with the BHE staff to discuss a future response plan.

District receives recognition

Fire Management Officer Tim Ross of the Pikes Peak Ranger District (PPRD), serving with the U.S. Forest Service, recognized MFD for supporting the prescribed burn and the Monument Fire Center during the burn on June 12 and 13 in the area known as “The Preserve” in Monument. See wp.ocn.me/v24n7mfd/ and the caption and photo inset of the presentation. Ross thanked the district for its continued support and said the PPRD looks forward to returning with the prescribed burn effort in the future. Ross also said the prescribed burn went well and stayed where it was supposed to, and nobody was injured.

Two-thirds of the effort was accomplished, and in hindsight the third day burn of about 300 acres could have taken place and the burn would be done, but the decision not to burn on the third day was based on the precipitation that never came. The partnerships and training aspect, the people on the ground implementing the burn, and the public education went well, Ross said. It was a successful prescribed burn that will encourage re-growth, he said. The goal was not to eliminate any one species but an attempt to return the area to its original state and restore the balance with not as much scrub oak, hence the mosaic burn pattern, said Ross.

**Above**: From left, Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction Jonathan Bradley receives a geographical framed map of the burn area from Fire Management Officer Tim Ross of the Pikes Peak Ranger District during the July 24 MFD board meeting. Ross said Bradley displayed superior efforts in bringing the Monument prescribed fire to fruition. Photo by Natalie Barszcz.

**Above**: From left, Fire Chief Andy Kovacs is presented with a watercolor rendition of Monument Rock from Fire Management Officer Ross at the MFD board meeting on July 24. The district supported the U.S. Forest Service in the preparation for the prescribed burn, and during the event on June 12 and 13 in the area known as Monument Preserve. Photo by Natalie Barszcz.

Financial report

Treasurer Tom Kelly said all funding streams look good and ambulance revenue is right on target half way through the budget year as of June 30. Overall revenue year to date is about $13.659 million, approximately 61.9% of the projected 2024 income budget set at about $22 million. Expenses are all tracking with wages coming back in line and overall expenses year to date are about $8.347 million or 51.0% of the projected expense budget set at about $16.336 million.

The board had 23 electronic transmissions over $2,500, and of note were:

$63,498 Liquid Structures Station 4 concrete apron
$20,147 NV5 Inc. Station 3 agreement
$216,671 Flintco LLC Station 4 remodel
$10,303 Wex Bank Inc. Fleet fuel
$104,390 PNC Equipment Finance Engine lease payment

Every transaction appeared appropriate and within the 2024 budget, and the checking and savings accounts totaled about $16.743 million (about $10.833 million in the Operations and General Fund), said Kelly.

Kovacs said the increase was due to the transfer of funds from DWFPD and additional property tax revenue, he said.

Note: District revenue increased by about $1.581 million from the May 31 financial report.

In a 4-0 vote, the board accepted the financial report as presented.

2024-25 budget update

Kovacs said the district will amend the 2025 budget after the 2024 audit presentation. A significant amount of funds is allocated to the district’s capital projects, but because of the length of the planning processes, funds have not been spent in 2024. The district will be rolling over funds into fiscal year 2025 and will be under budget in totality at the end of 2024, even though the Station 4 remodel is over budget, Kovacs said. Funds will be re-allocated from the unspent budgeted capital expenditure for the additional expenditures, he said.

Station 3 rebuild update

Executive Battalion Chief Micah Coyle said the rebuild of Station 3 on a 2-acre lot north of the YMCA on Jackson Creek Parkway is still in the discovery phase, and the district is working with the seller to get the plat and site plan approved by the Town of Monument (TOM). See wp.ocn.me/v24n7mfd/.

Vice President John Hildebrandt said the district has been waiting on the plat approval for quite a while and he questioned the delay.

Bradley said the TOM moratorium on plat approvals expired last week, and even though the district’s plans were not technically subject to the hold, a lot of projects will now be submitted to the Planning Department. He attends a standing weekly meeting with the planning team to review pre-applications and plans, but it is unknown where the plan is in the process with the team of planners, he said. See MTC article on page < 1 >.

Kovacs said the developer is still making amendments, not only to subdivide the 2-acre parcel the district is purchasing adjacent to the YMCA on Jackson Creek Parkway but also the entire 11-acre property that will require subdividing into lots, he said.

Merger update

Coyle said Emily Powell of Ireland Stapleton Pryor Pascoe PC law firm is ready to file the dissolution request with the courts on July 26, and the process could take up to 50 days.

Affidavits from the three eligible voting members, two board directors and a spouse supporting the dissolution of the district will be presented, but the presiding judge could call for a three-person election on Dec. 3. See DWFPD article on page < 8 >.

Hildebrandt asked why an election might be necessary now and said it had not been part of the original plan. He said he thought the process was to just absorb the two remaining properties and the dissolution would be finalized sooner.

Kovacs said the judge could technically call for a vote of the three remaining residents, and the earliest date would be Dec. 3, but if the judge is reasonable the election process will be skipped due to the three remaining eligible voters signing affidavits approving the dissolution. Powell is confident an election will not be necessary, he said.

Director Mark Gunderman said Powell has worked many fire district mergers, and an election is a worst-case scenario. In most cases, an election has never been necessary, he said.

Powell is confident the merger will be “buttoned up” by the end of the year, said Kovacs.

Volunteer Firefighter Pension Plan

Coyle requested the board approve the DWFPD Volunteer Firefighter Pension Plan (VFPP) Affiliation Agreement. See wp.ocn.me/v24n7dwfpd/.

Kovacs said the agreement was missed during the document signing last month. This agreement allows the district to assume management of the VFPP.

Hildebrandt asked if the VFPP would have any liabilities on MFD.

Gunderman said the VFPP is solvent on its own because of how it has been run, and no other recipients will be added to the fund, and it will continue to be fully funded.

Kovacs said the VFPP is self-funded, and a healthy account and the actuarial report are used to determine increased funding. A line item will be added for the 2025 budget for the VFPP, but the district will not add funds this year because the fund is so healthy, he said.

The board approved the VFPP affiliation agreement in a 4-0 vote.

Meeting time change

Hildebrandt said the meeting time was changed a few years ago from 7 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., when the Woodmoor Fire Department and Tri-Lakes Fire Department merged. He said it would be his preference to keep the same time to allow working board members and residents to attend.

Kelly said at the June board meeting he had requested the board review the meeting time in the interest of overtime savings and fiscal responsibility. Changing the meeting times to earlier in the day would prevent overtime costs when staff must stay for meetings. The goal is to continue fiscal responsibility with the increase of capital improvements and remain prudent with the district funds, said Kelly.

Kovacs said the executive branch including himself, Bradley and Division Chief of Administration Jamey Bumgarner are exempt from receiving overtime, and it depends on the length of the meetings, but an average meeting is about two hours, so about four hours of overtime is incurred monthly for Coyle and for Director of Administration Jennifer Martin because their work day ends at 4:30 p.m.

Gunderman said he never witnessed a difference in attendance during his time on the Wescott board that typically meets at 4:30 p.m., and due to COVID-19 restrictions the regular resident attendees joined via Zoom and continued to do so, and the in-person attendees continued to show up. Working from home, he sets his own schedule and is flexible and has never seen any public push back even if the meeting is earlier than 4:30 p.m. Gunderman said he would not have a problem with an earlier meeting but suggested no earlier than 4:30 p.m.

Director Duane Garrett confirmed that whenever he had a work conflict during his tenure on the Wescott board, he joined via Zoom and rarely missed a meeting.

This reporter suggested the board consider saving half the overtime costs by meeting at 4:30 p.m., since the DWFPD meetings will no longer be held in 2025.

Kovacs said it is not uncommon for attendees to hang around between meetings, but moving the meeting to 4:30 p.m. would not entirely save on overtime costs, but it may be more convenient, and if it does not work the board can always change the time, he said.

Hildebrandt said it would have been difficult when he worked full time to attend at 4:30 p.m.

Kelly made a motion to change the meeting time to 4:30 p.m.; it was seconded by Garrett.

The board approved the time change, with meetings held on the fourth Wednesday, beginning in 2025, in a 4-1 vote; Hildebrandt dissented.

EMS calls

Coyle said the district purchased a LUCAS device that administers mechanical CPR, all crews have trained on the unit, and it is in service on Squad 575 at Station 5. It will be used during all district cardiac arrest calls.

Hildebrandt asked if the device would be better located at Station 4.

Kovacs said the district hopes to purchase a device per year, if finances are available, to have three total for each ambulance. Squad 575 with a lieutenant and engineer is the support for the first responding unit to cardiac arrest calls.

Hildebrandt said a potentially life-saving piece of equipment could not be farther away from a good portion of the district as you can get and Station 1 is a prime example.

Bradley said the device is not necessarily a first-response device, and it does not matter where the device goes. The decision to place the device on Squad 575, a non-transport vehicle, was made to ensure it is always available in district until enough devices are available for the ambulances, he said.

Note: The chief’s report and the financial report can be found at www.monumentfire.org.

The meeting adjourned at 7:51 p.m.

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Meetings are usually held on the fourth Wednesday every month. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Aug. 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Station 1, 18650 Highway 105. For Microsoft Teams virtual joining instructions, agendas, minutes, and updates, visit www.monumentfire.org or contact Director of Administration Jennifer Martin at 719-484-9011.

Natalie Barszcz can be reached at nataliebarszcz@ocn.me.