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Telluride‑area fire district pitches Placerville station remodel and training tower; seeks community input
Summary
Telluride Fire Protection District presented conceptual plans to remodel Station 3 in Placerville, add apparatus bays and a controlled live‑fire training tower. The district said an AFG federal grant of $575,000 supports the training tower and emphasized community engagement, tours and a July live‑fire demonstration.
Telluride Fire presenters described a two‑part proposal for Placerville: remodel the existing Station 3 to add apparatus bays and bunking, and build a nearby training facility with a burn tower that can support live‑fire and multi‑company drills.
"We need a training facility so we can get our reps in and be better first responders," the district's training battalion chief told commissioners during a public presentation that included 3‑D sketches and preliminary site plans. The presenters said the tower and training complex would improve training frequency, help meet ISO scoring elements that some insurers use, and reduce the need to travel out of district for live‑fire exercises.
Presentation details and community questions: - Grant and timeline: presenters said the district has been awarded an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) of $575,000 toward the training facility; they described a grant deadline and an expectation of having a structure on the ground by 2027 to meet grant timelines. The district said station remodel and the training facility are separate but related projects. - Community concerns: residents asked about air quality, smoke, water use for live‑fire training, traffic and the possibility of a permanent closure of Front Street. Fire leaders said live‑fire operations would be conducted in a controlled environment with limited combustible loads, that water needs could be met with on‑site tanks and tenders, and that the station access plan includes a CDOT emergency‑access arrangement to reduce risks at a blind corner. - Public engagement: the district invited residents to a station tour on June 10 and a live‑fire demonstration on July 29; county staff said a geolocated survey will be posted on the county website so the county can gauge neighborhood support.
The district said it had internal funding for the station work and did not plan to ask residents for additional tax levies as part of these proposals; any formal site and building approvals would go through the planning commission and county permitting processes.
Next steps: the fire district and county staff will collect survey responses, host tours and demonstrations and return to county processes if community sentiment and permit review support proceeding.
