Clear Creek County fire authority annual report details staffing, finances and rising capital needs

Clear Creek County fire authority staff presented their 2024 annual report to intergovernmental-agreement (IGA) partners at a special meeting in Idaho Springs on May 22, outlining operations, training, capital assets and a budget shortfall that leaders say will require new long-term funding.

The report, delivered by fire authority staff and discussed with county commissioners and municipal partners, summarized operational changes that took effect in 2024 — including expanded around‑the‑clock staffing in key stations — measured improvements in some response metrics and a capital plan driven by aging apparatus and sharply higher construction costs for a proposed new Idaho Springs station.

Staff said the authority’s average districtwide response time fell from about 12 minutes and 5 seconds in 2023 to about 10 minutes and 51 seconds in 2024, and that the department is tracking compliance with the National Fire Protection Association standard NFPA 1710, which the authority cites as an eight‑minute response-time goal for career staffing models. The report lists a 2024 target of reaching two personnel on scene within eight minutes and notes the authority reached the 8‑minute goal roughly 55 percent of the time for the year and nearer 60 percent year-to-date for the current reporting period.

The presentation covered personnel, training, equipment and funding. Staff reported 55 people on the roster: 16 career (full‑time) firefighters and 39 shift/volunteer firefighters who fill paid shifts;…