St. Mary's Glacier Volunteer Fire Department

New Station
Our current facility consists of two bays in the St. Mary's Metro District Building -- space generously donated by the Metro District. The building is old and space is limited. In fact, there is little room in front of or behind the Scat Truck and there is no way to access the far side of our tanker unless you open the garage door. If we want to train inside, we have to put a truck outside, which means the pumps may freeze during the winter. Therefore, we find other space for indoor trainings. And the cost of heating the building keeps rising each month as propane prices continue climbing.

We have plans for a new solar self-sufficient station to resolve those issues. It will utilize a thermal mass system to insulate the building, retaining and releasing heat generated by the ground. Additionally, solar hot water panels on the roof will heat water that is circulated through baseboards and that will radiate enough heat to maintain a temperature over 55 degrees when the doors are closed. The solar panels also will generate electricity for the building and, since the building will be tied to the grid, we will return electricity through the grid when we aren't using the 15 kilowatts generated per day. We will have a battery system as well, so that we can function during a power outage.

The new station will be approximately 3,000 square feet: three bays for our pair of trucks and plenty of room to train with those apparatus inside when the weather is bad. We'll also be able to store off-road vehicles there and use that extra bay in conjunction with new meeting space as a command center for any incident in the neighborhood. We will have a cistern inside the station with extra water for the trucks. Although we do have hydrants in the neighborhood, access can be tricky in the winter. We do have an auger (purchased with money raised in previous Labor Day fundraisers) to punch a hole through the ice for winter water supply needs, but an extra cistern will enhance our abilities to refill without needing to go to a lake or drive the tanker down to Idaho Springs.

The estimated cost of this project is $343,200, which is a significant short-term investment. However, the long-term savings on energy and the ability to be independent of the grid if needed as well as increasing the abilities of Clear Creek Fire Authority's Station 7 will provide returns well into the future. With this station, we'll be protecting the neighborhood and protecting the planet -- both of which should make our proposal welcome among grant sources. Additional information, including how you can donate to this effort, is available by emailing ecohistorian@msn.com. The CCFA is committed to this project and has united it with plans for a new station serving the Saddleback neighborhood, a move for which all of us Station 7 firefighters are grateful.