Angel Fire fire chief details fuels work, fire-station funding and FEMA SAFER grant application

Chief Vance presented an extended overview of fire department finances, wildland operations and fuels-management activities at the FY27 interim budget workshop. He said the department generated roughly $350,000 in wildland revenue last year, has about 20 full-time and roughly 10 part-time employees, and that contracted services and operating costs make up a large share of expenditures.

On fuels-management, Vance said the village has removed more than 1,000,000 cubic feet of accumulated slash over roughly 20 years, streamlined intake and disposal workflows, improved access with gravel at processing sites, and is pursuing staffing and outreach to support mitigation and evacuation-route thinning in partnership with the Cimarron Watershed Alliance.

Vance described the fire protection fund and capital planning for a new station: an annual state distribution of about $539,780 goes to equipment only, the department has an ~ $800,000 carryover in that fund, and staff plan to apply roughly $5,220,000 in proposed state appropriations toward the fire station build along with grant and general fund sources.

“We applied for $1,900,000 for a replacement ladder truck,” Vance said, adding the SAFER grant submission is pending approval. He noted the existing ladder truck is from 2002 and that vehicle-maintenance costs have been rising. Vance also flagged the department's intention to request additional personnel and to refill a fuels-ambassador position to sustain the expanded mitigation effort.

During Q&A, council members and staff discussed whether to eliminate resident drop-off fees for slash to encourage Firewise participation; Vance said removing the fee could promote safety but would reduce a funding source, a tradeoff the council will need to weigh.

Next steps: staff will continue to pursue grant awards and return to the governing body with implementation details and any required budget adjustments.