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Homeowners in no-man’s land could opt into fire coverage area

NICOLE FORMOSA
summit daily news
Summit Daily/Kristin Skvorc
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SILVERTHORNE ” When a small Dumpster fire broke out at Breckenridge Mayor Ernie Blake’s 250-acre ranch north of Silverthorne in May, Lake Dillon Fire Authority firefighters responded and quickly doused the flames.

Shortly after, Blake received a $1,500 bill from the fire department to pay for the suppression costs.

If the fire had spread to a nearby barn or house and grown into a full-blown structure fire, the invoice would have been closer to $5,000.



Blake had no qualms about paying his tab, but it’s a cost that could’ve been avoided had his property been included in Lake Dillon’s Fire Protection District, which ends around the Blue River Campground.

The Lower Blue Fire Protection District doesn’t pick up until Ute Pass Road, leaving at least 300 property owners and almost five miles of Highway 9 in no-man’s land.



The cost of inclusion into the Lake Dillon Fire Authority would likely fall in the range of $165 to $665 per year in property taxes depending on the actual value of a home. There’s also a $500 fee to help pay for new district maps, but that can be split among as many homeowners as are applying for inclusion.

That additional money also would help the fire district move toward its goal of building another fire station north of Silverthorne at Golden Eagle Road, said Lake Dillon Fire Authority (LDFA) Chief Dave Parmley.

The current fire station in Silverthorne is used only for administrative purposes, as it cannot facilitate living quarters for firefighters.

The prospect of a new station alone is enough motivation for Eric Fischer and his wife, Corrie, who live 12 miles north of Interstate 70.

“I guess I’m looking at it from the standpoint of I’m helping pay for a station that will help protect me,” Fischer said. “A station in Dillon doesn’t do anything for me.”

The new firehouse would cost around $1 million to design and build and $600,000 per year to staff and operate, Parmley said.

Though the extra property taxes would help, the fire district plans to build a new station in the future regardless of whether any homeowners opt for inclusion, Parmley said.

The new station would be four miles closer to the northern end of the county than the current response station in Dillon and would eliminate 12 traffic lights through which firefighters must travel between the two towns.

The mileage difference would result in an eight to 12 minutes decrease in response time to an emergency in northern Silverthorne, said Lake Dillon Deputy Chief Jeff Berino.

Though homeowners would likely only notice a nominal reduction ” if any at all ” in insurance premiums for including into a fire protection district, it’s the peace of mind of living closer to a fire station they should consider, said State Farm Insurance agent George Osborne.

Also, many of the big brand insurance companies won’t underwrite fire insurance for a home that’s too far from a response station. State Farm will not insure homes that are more than 10 miles from a firehouse, Osborne said.

Nicole Formosa can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 229, or at nformosa@summitdaily.com

Questions about inclusion should be directed to Lake Dillon Fire Authority at (970) 513-4100.


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