Fire losses down in 2016, Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue annual report notes

Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue has released its 2016 annual report, which shows that total fire losses were down from the previous year at $1.2 million compared to $3.4 million in 2015.

Crews responded to 39 total fires, 15 of which were structure fires. The department estimates that responses to those incidents ultimately prevented roughly $11,256,292 in property damages.

The total number of calls LDFR responded to last year held about steady from 2015 at 2,399. The majority, 52.3 percent, were EMS calls, while “good intent” calls and alarms were next with 16.9 percent and 16.4 percent, respectively.

“While only about two percent of our emergency calls actually involve fires, we respond to all manner of emergency-medical and hazardous-materials incidents,” fire chief Jeff Berino wrote. “Vehicle accidents on a busy Interstate 70 and Loveland Pass also contribute to a large percentage of our calls for service.”

The report notes several high-profile incidents that LDFR responded to in 2016, including the October Frey Gulch wildfire above the landfill, a moving van fire on I-70, a beer truck rollover on Loveland Pass and a 30-car pile-up on the interstate in April.

“Fortunately, the district saw little other wildfire activity in 2016, allowing Lake Dillon wildfire crews to assist our neighbors in battling wildfires in Jackson, Chaffee and Larimer counties and Dubois, Wyo., comprising a total of 130 firefighter-days,” the report notes.

LDFR reported no fatalities or fire-related injuries in 2016. The full text of the report can be accessed here.