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OCN > 2604 > Monument Fire District, March 25 – District breaks ground for new Station 3

Monument Fire District, March 25 – District breaks ground for new Station 3

Highlights

  • The Monument Fire District announced a ground-breaking for Fire Station 3, a quit claim deed approved for 15000 Sun Hills Drive, and concerns raised about the Station 1 Training Center tower.
  • The quit claim deed authorizes transferring the Sun Hills property back to former board Director Charles Fleece so the district can discontinue retaining it, citing recent water line issues and high maintenance costs.
  • Fire Station 3 construction is expected to take about 12 months with Flintco LLC to proceed within two weeks, following the March groundbreaking at 17320 Jackson Creek Parkway.
  • Residents raised questions about the Station 1 Training Center tower, with details on Class A vs Class B burns and smoke concerns; district officials outlined planned live-fire and simulated training, including use of LED boards and theatrical smoke.
  • The district reported a mid-year financial snapshot: about $1 million income (4.12% of 2026 budget), $3.466 million expenses (15.77% of budget), and total funds around $32 million, with leadership noting delayed property tax revenue and equipment purchases.
  • The board confirmed ongoing executive recruitment for a fire chief and highlighted staff training recognitions, including Chief Fire Officer designation for Janaka Branden and accreditation-related training for Branden and Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction Jonathan Bradley.
  • A life-saving award ceremony was held in the apparatus bay at Station 1.

By Natalie Barszcz

At the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District (TLMFPD) dba Monument Fire District (MFD) meeting via Microsoft Teams on March 25, the board heard the district had held a ground-breaking ceremony for the Station 3 rebuild, approved the authorization for a quit claim deed for the property at 15000 Sun Hills Drive, and received public comments regarding concerns about the future Station 1 training center tower.

A life-saving award ceremony was held in the apparatus bay at Station 1 as the first item on the meeting agenda. See photo above.

The board held an executive session to discuss possibly providing services outside of the service area boundaries.

Quit claim deed

Fire Chief Andy Kovacs requested board approval of Resolution 2026-04, authorizing and executing a quit claim deed for the property at 15000 Sun Hills Drive, making the property owned by former board Director Charles Fleece whole. The property parcel was originally subdivided and donated by the previous property owner, a former fire chief of the Donald Wescott Fire Protection District, for the purpose of building a fire station. There is no longer any logistical need for the Sun Hills property to be retained now that the district has plenty of storage at the rental property at 19775 Mitchell Avenue. A water line break occurred during a recent cold snap, and the building is becoming expensive to maintain, said Kovacs.

Emergency Incident Support (EIS) President Dennis Song said his organization had removed all of its vehicles and equipment, and he thanked the district for its support.

Division Chief of Operations Janaka Branden thanked EIS for the ongoing support during district training events and the annual youth camps.

The board approved the authorization 6-1. John Hildebrandt recused himself due to his volunteer service with EIS.

Fire Station 3 groundbreaking

Caption: From left, staff members from Flintco LLC construction company, NV5 (owners’ representative), OZ Architects, and Monument Fire Department at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Station 3 on March 25. Photo courtesy of Monument Fire District.

Chief of Administration Jamey Bumgarner said the groundbreaking for the rebuild of Fire Station 3 took place at 17320 Jackson Creek Parkway (north of the Tri-Lakes YMCA). The notice for Flintco LLC to proceed will likely take place within two weeks, and the rebuild is expected to take about 12 months to complete. For further details about the site, see the WWSD article on page < 12 > and related photo above.

Station 1 Training Center burn concerns addressed

Resident Gene Huismann voiced concerns about the proposed Station 1 Training Center three-story tower and said, “At the Monument Planning Commission (MPC) meeting on March 11 the proposed training tower for the Station 1 Training Center was stated to be a Class A and B burn facility, four storied and no longer three, and that was unbeknownst to the residents.”

Huismann continued, “At the Town Hall on April 18, 2024, the proposed training tower was slated to be a Class B training tower with fake smoke.” He said, “I am downwind of the site and severely allergic to smoke, and shocked that the department would be able to burn any type of materials with residential neighbors behind the station within 30-50 yards.” See https://wp.ocn.me/v24n5mfd/townhall and the MPC article on page < 10 >.

President Mark Gunderman said technically the district could use the tower for both Class A and B burning, and he deferred comments to the fire chiefs.

Kovacs said the training tower would be installed in early fall and will burn Class A natural combustibles such as wood and Class B natural gas. Most of the training will use theatrical smoke and moveable waterproof LED light boards that simulate a fire extinguished when water is applied. The district no longer has the option to use the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) training facility for live fire or recruit training. The district is partnering with Pikes Peak State Collage (PPSC) in collaboration with its Fire Academy, and the other two options are: Black Forest Fire/Rescue Protection District, an unapproved training facility; and the Air Force Academy’s Class A training facility, but the district has no control over access, especially so in light of the current situation in the Middle East, said Kovacs.

In a Class A live fire training scenario, a safety and training plan is required with a training chief, five to seven instructors/safety officers, and additional hose lines to protect the staff. Any smoke would be extinguished quickly with less smoke than a residential chimney, and training days would take place about two or three times per year. Other agencies will also be invited to use the facility at the same time as the district organizes live fire training, said Kovacs.

Huismann requested the live fire training schedule in writing.

Gunderman said the district cannot tie its hands to any type of commitment, firefighters require constant training, and the board has decided not to rely on other agencies to train staff and to allow the district to be self-sufficient, keeping staff within its boundaries.

Kovacs said the firefighters are excited for the training tower as recommended in the feasibility study performed during the merger process with DWFPD. It is hoped that crews will train regularly, with vehicle extrication and additional classrooms to run the Fire Academy, making firefighters more proficient in a simulated experience with low visibility, smoke, and heat in the training tower.

Huismann asked if the retention pond capturing water will be contaminated with burn matter after training.

Kovacs said the water will be scrubbed and filtered before entering the retention pond, and having served 30 years at a previous district, no complaints were ever received from residents. The training center may partner with PPSC to provide some financial support in conjunction with the Fire Academy partnership, along with some fees to cover supplies from other departments using the facility.

Director Mike Smaldino said CSFD had reverted to a Class A training tower after 20 years, with the majority being Class B training to avoid excessive cleaning and laundering of the firefighter turnout gear and equipment. National Firefighter Protection Association standards are maintained, and hopefully the training center will be in use regularly for drills without fire, and mostly burns using a limited number of pallets of hay to keep the heat down. The Class A tower allows for complete training to ensure muscle memory, but not 365 days, 24 hours per day, said Smaldino.

Bumgarner said the Fire Station 1 Training Center site development plan had been approved after a public hearing, in a 3-1 vote by the MPC. A final public hearing is scheduled with the Town Council at the town chambers on April 6. If approved, site grading will begin, and the tower structure is expected to be in place by the end of September or early October. Training could commence in November.

Recruitment update

Kovacs said the executive recruitment for the fire chief position was underway by Prothman Executive Recruitment. It had received about a dozen candidates so far, with a broad swath of applicants from Colorado and across the nation. The candidate interview process begins in April to select about five finalists to be hosted in May 12-13 by the district, said Kovacs.

At the October meeting, Kovacs announced his plan to retire from the fire service at the end of 2026.

Financial update

Kovacs delivered the financial report and said the district was at 16.6 % of the total budget year to date as of Feb. 28, and he highlighted some of the following from the financial report:

  • The combined overall income received year to date was about $1 million, which was 4.12% of the projected income revenue for 2026 set at about $24 million.
  • Overall expenses were about $3.466 million, which was 15.77% of the projected expense budget set at about $21.984 million.
  • The total checking/savings was about $32 million, with about $7.835 million in the Operations/General Fund. The balance includes loan proceeds of about $18.133 million in Bank of Oklahoma financing for the Fire Station 3 rebuild.

Kovacs said the district was notified by the El Paso County Assessor’s Office that the expected bulk of property tax revenue typically received in March is slightly delayed for 2026. The 26 electronic transactions were appropriate and within budget. Of note were $33,598 for Motorola radios, $385,017 for a Snowcat, $295,933 for a Water Tender, $82,768 for two Ford Mavericks for the Community Risk Reduction Staff, and $8,234 for Station 2 roof repairs.

The board unanimously accepted the financial report as presented.

Director Steve Phillips has accepted the position of treasurer.

Chief’s recognition

Kovacs congratulated Branden for recently completing his chief fire officer designation from the Center of Public Safety Excellence.

He also announced Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction Jonathan Bradley and Branden had completed site assessor training and will be assessing other agencies in support of agencies seeking accreditation.

From left, Engineer Mike Rauenzahn, the survivor, Firefighter Chris Harrison, Firefighter/Paramedics Jay Bruchis and Andrew Dore after receiving Life Saving awards at Station 1 on March 25. Fire Chief Andy Kovacs presented multiple Life Saving awards to staff and four citizens (not pictured). Photo courtesy of Monument Fire District.

Mitigation

Director André Mouton thanked Bradley for the Chipping Program, and said he was seeing mitigation activity in neighborhoods that had been absent for 10 years. See snapshot on page < 20 >.

Bradley said the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code was being reviewed and would be adopted July 1.

4th Annual Youth Camp

Branden announced the Fourth Annual Youth Camp was scheduled for May 28-30, and said the camp will allow up to 15 students ages 16-19 or recent high school graduates to participate. Past participants have had hiring success with South Metro Fire Rescue, Denver.

The chief’s reports and the 2025 Annual Report can be viewed at www.monumentfire.org.

Executive session

The board moved into an executive session at about 6 p.m. to discuss the possible provision of services outside of the service area boundaries.

Director of Administration Jennifer Martin confirmed to this reporter that when the board returned to the regular meeting, no decisions were made and the meeting promptly adjourned.

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Meetings are usually held on the fourth Wednesday of every month. The next regular meeting is scheduled for April 22 at 4:30 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

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