Woodland Park board recommends City Council adopt 2021 International Fire Code

The Woodland Park Board of Review voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council adopt the 2021 International Fire Code, with amendments submitted by the Northeast Teller Fire Protection District, and authorized the city attorney to correct typographical and topographic errors as the ordinance is drafted.

The recommendation — described at the meeting as a legislative action — was introduced by Chair Mac McVicker after the board reviewed the packet supplied by the fire protection district and heard comments from members and staff. Planner Dave Burgess told the board that "all the other fire districts that were involved in this have adopted this as it is," and said he would email the city attorney with additional information after the meeting.

Why it matters: Adopting the 2021 code updates local technical standards used in permitting, inspections and enforcement. Board members emphasized a tight timeline: the city attorney will prepare ordinance language for a City Council first reading on May 21, with a public hearing scheduled for the council's early June meeting (council public hearing noted for June 4). The board discussed making the updated code effective no later than June 30, 2026.

Board debate focused on two practical issues. Several members flagged editorial problems in the 83-page draft packet — pagination, grammar and misspellings — and asked that the city attorney clean up typographical errors when drafting the ordinance. Vice Chair Jeff Cahill urged urgency, saying the board should "adopt it as is and push it forward" given the statutory timeline. Board member Martine Bogle raised questions about whether referenced fee schedules and department standard operating procedures would be enforceable under the amended code and asked how appeals of fire department decisions would be handled; staff and other members said those details often appear in separate fee schedules or resolutions and that the fire protection district board typically serves as the local appeals board.

Members also noted one substantive drafting error in the packet: a reference to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office where the document should reference the Teller County Sheriff's Office. Jeff Smith said he had alerted Chief Lambert to that error and expected it to be corrected in the ordinance draft.

Motion and vote: The board placed a motion to recommend adoption and to authorize the city attorney to make necessary typographical and topographic corrections; the motion passed unanimously. Members identified on the record as voting yes were Martine Bogle, Mac McVicker, Jeff Smith and Jeff Cahill. The board will forward its recommendation to City Council for ordinance drafting, first reading and the scheduled public hearing.

The chair also announced the Board of Review will meet in the near future to consider the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, a related document produced following Senate Bill 23-166; members noted that document runs about 40–42 pages and will be scheduled for a future meeting.

What’s next: The City Council first reading on the ordinance was mentioned for May 21 and the council public hearing for early June (June 4 was mentioned in the meeting). The board’s recommendation and the city attorney’s drafted ordinance will determine the formal schedule and final effective date.