Since 2020, the Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District has seen a 54% increase in emergency calls, which has been  driven by several factors:

• Population growth as evidenced by the large and ever-increasing number of residential, single and multi-family building projects that have occurred over the last five years in particular. Additionally, we have seen a big increase in commercial construction projects that are bringing more people to the area to work, shop and eat. All of this construction and population increase naturally increases the number of emergency medical and fire responses in the District.
• Tourism. Our area is host to a great number of outdoor attractions which carry their own specific risks. Whitewater boating, fishing, hunting, biking, running, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, camping, backcountry riding, hiking, rock and ice climbing are among more popular than ever.

The need for additional responders is no longer a projection—it is a daily reality.

We are responding to more wildfires, river rescues, human caused fires, and backcountry and trail rescues that require the personnel to carry out injured people or use of helicopters.

• Emergency medical calls make up the majority of our responses. Calls are rising steadily with an aging population and even more year-round visitors. Because Carbondale does not have its own hospital, our ambulance crews—at least two responders, many times three responders—must transport patients to Glenwood Springs. Each transport takes a crew out of the District for more than an hour, leaving fewer responders available for the next emergencys.
• Wildfire and severe weather risks have increased. There is more demand for rapid response, community education, along with inspection, prevention and property wildfire mitigation programs.
• Mutual aid with neighboring fire districts is critical. Our neighboring fire districts are experiencing the same increases in demand for emergency and prevention services. Almost any wildland fire, structure fire, or multi-vehicle accident requires us or our neighbors to respond with either automatic aid agreements or mutual aid requests. None of us are large enough to do this by ourselves.
• Training keeps us response ready. Every type of incident response along with every kind of prevention, public education, and fire mitigation project requires our people to be specifically trained and educated in that unique type of response. This means that along with incident response, keeping apparatus and equipment in a response ready state, our crew members are training every day. In order to deliver our high standard of care, our responders and staff complete over 8,000 hours of training and education every year.

This increase in demand means that our firefighters and paramedics are busier than ever before. Frequent back-to-back and concurrent calls stretch our on-duty crews, and there are times when all units are already committed when the next emergency call comes in. 

A 1.5% sales tax is estimated to raise approximately $3.7 million annually. If approved by voters, this revenue would be dedicated to protecting service levels and strengthening long-term reliability.

• The sales tax would fund six Firefighter/Medics and three additional support positions (fire inspector, building and grounds technician, and an administrative assistant). The staffing increase will improve the ability to handle simultaneous emergency calls, bringing CRFPD close to meeting the minimum national standard for safe and effective response (NFPA 1710). 
• The sales tax would support competitive wages and benefits to keep well-trained responders here in our community.
• The sales tax would fund training, continuing education, and responder health and wellness. It would fund the cost and staffing to send EMTs to Paramedic School.  
• Apparatus and equipment would be replaced on a safe, responsible cycle so frontline vehicles and protective gear remain reliable. 
• Emergency reserves would be rebuilt to fiscally prudent levels, restoring resilience for the future.

A sales tax ensures that the cost of supporting fire and emergency services is shared by everyone who makes purchases in the District - not just property owners. Visitors and non-residents who shop, dine, or recreate here contribute.

Adding a sales tax diversifies the District’s revenue sources, making funding more stable and resilient. Right now, we rely heavily on property taxes. That leaves us vulnerable to state-level changes in tax law and fluctuations in property values. A balanced mix of property tax and sales tax creates a stronger, more predictable foundation for essential emergency services.

When you call 9-1-1, every second counts. More responders on duty means faster response, safer operations on the scene, and better outcomes for patients and the community. Reliable funding ensures we can staff for today’s call volume, meet national standards, and maintain the tools and training that keep both residents and responders safe. Rebuilding reserves protects service stability during economic shifts, major incidents, or disasters.

Carbondale Fire is more than emergency response

• We invest in prevention, education, and local pathways into public safety careers. 
• Residents can request free wildfire home risk assessments to make properties more defensible before a fire starts.
• Community CPR and first aid classes equip neighbors to help while crews are enroute.
• We provide bilingual outreach so Spanish-speaking families receive timely, clear safety information.
• We work to improve safety for older adults.
• Through partnerships with the Roaring Fork School District and Colorado Mountain College, we help local youth explore and train for careers as tomorrow’s firefighter/paramedics.

Being Rooted Here means we show up every day; being Ready Here means we prepare our community to be safer and more resilient.

Our fire stations and housing directly affect how quickly and safely we can respond. Purpose-built quarters provide safe, reliable space for Firefighter/Medics to rest, prepare, and mobilize at a moment’s notice. Modern facilities support safer operations overall, including properly designed apparatus bays, decontamination areas, and training space.

Workforce housing is essential for retaining and recruiting responders. Many of our career and volunteer staff cannot afford to live in the community they serve. A number of our responders live 30 to 45 minutes or more away. Long commutes not only delay response times during emergency callback of off-duty personnel, they make it harder to keep well-trained people on staff. Affordable housing options are key to keeping well-trained responders here.

Providing workforce housing units at or near our stations helps solve both challenges. It allows firefighters and medics to live closer to their work, cutting response times, and ensuring that skilled responders are available when the community needs them most. It also gives personnel the opportunity to live in and contribute to the community they protect—spending their earnings locally, building stronger ties with neighbors, and making long-term service here more sustainable.

WORKFORCE (WF) HOUSING UNITS
for Career and Volunteer members

FIRE STATIONS AND BUILDINGS

Station 82 Redstone  
Replace 50 year old facility

Station 82 is an approximately 50-year-old facility that would be replaced with a 4,000 sq. ft. fire station featuring three apparatus bays and crew quarters for an eventual staffing level of four full-time responders. A new fire station in the southern end of the District with rapid access to Hwy 133 has been identified as a critical piece of CRFPD’s long-term vision of providing excellent fire and emergency medical services in the Crystal Valley.

Cost: $7,000,000 including land acquisition

Station 81 Carbondale 
Operations Crew Quarters  

Funding will allow CRFPD to complete upgrades to the crew quarters building in Carbondale. Upgrading the sleeping areas, dayroom area, and crew working spaces will enable us to provide for the health and wellness of our 24/7 and volunteer responders by installing state of the art alerting systems, sleeping quarters that meet NFPA health and safety standards along with installing the latest and best ergonomic features for physical and mental health in our workspaces.

Administration and Training Facilities

Funding will enable CRFPD to expand office facilities, replace and upgrade heavily used spaces, and most importantly, finish the plans for completion of important training classrooms, equipment and areas that support and enable CRFPD to continue to deliver vital training and education to current and future generations of first responders in this region.

Cost: $1,450,000

Total Fire Stations and Buildings: $8,450,000

Total Capital Improvements: $30,000,000

Faster, more reliable response: Housing units located at or near stations reduces turnout and travel time, especially in the more remote areas we serve

Safer, modern facilities: Updated bays and crew spaces improve on-scene readiness, reduce risks around moving apparatus, and support decontamination and equipment maintenance.

Retention and recruitment: Local housing helps keep skilled responders in our valley, stabilizing staffing as call volumes continue to grow.

The bond would be repaid through property taxes.

A bond is a one-time funding tool, similar to a loan, that is repaid with interest over time through a dedicated property tax. Bond proceeds are used for capital projects such as fire stations, major facility upgrades, land acquisition, apparatus, and housing tied to emergency response. Bond funds cannot be used for day-to-day operating costs like salaries or training.