North Metro Fire Rescue chief outlines growth, call volume and push on non-opioid pain care

Chief Mark Dougherty of North Metro Fire Rescue District presented a status update to the Northglenn City Council on Aug. 11, outlining the district's coverage area, workforce, recent growth and service priorities.

Dougherty described the district's footprint and call mix and emphasized that emergency medical response now dominates its workload. "We serve 58 square miles and generally around 126,000 residents," he said. He told council the system handled about 12,000 medical calls and roughly 268 fires last year and that call volume has risen substantially over the last five years.

The chief placed special emphasis on community-based interventions to reduce repeat 911 use and on reducing opioid exposure in prehospital care. He said North Metro is expanding a community collaborative health program that assigns specialists to frequent 911 callers and works to connect them to housing, mental-health and primary-care services. On pain management, Dougherty described alternatives the district is using to reduce initial opioid exposure, including intravenous non-opioid medications.

Why it matters: Northglenn lies inside North Metro's service area for emergency medical and fire calls. Rising demand and the cost of apparatus and workforce retention were presented as factors that affect service planning and budget outlook.

Dougherty summarized organizational resources and specialized teams: eight fire stations (two in north Northglenn), roughly 153 firefighters on a 48/96 schedule, five transport medic units, a ladder truck and specialized teams for technical rescue, airport response and wildland deployments. He said North Metro also contributes personnel to Colorado Task Force 1 for urban search and rescue and that nine department members now participate in that national deployment team.

Council members asked about hotspots and deployment. Council member Kondo pressed Dougherty on a high-call area near 120th and Washington, noting multiple assisted-living facilities there. "Station 63 is the busiest in our system of our eight houses," Dougherty said, adding that several assisted-living and memory-care facilities help explain the concentrated call volume.

Dougherty also discussed recruitment and finance. He said North Metro's revenue is primarily from property tax and that a recent statewide legislative change reduced property-tax rates and instituted caps that will affect future revenue growth. He estimated modern fire engines now cost roughly $1.3 million and aerial ladder trucks more than $2 million, and he said those rising costs are part of long-term financial planning.

Council members and residents praised North Metro's response work during the meeting. Several members recounted recent personal or family experiences with the department's emergency crews and thanked personnel for on-scene care.

Ending: Dougherty offered ride-along invitations to council and recommended the public continue to learn hands-only CPR, a priority he said would improve cardiac-arrest survival in the community.