Boulder Rural Open House and Spaghetti Dinner   November 2011
LIZ EMMETT-MATTOX
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On Sept. 24, the Boulder Rural Fire Department hosted its annual spaghetti dinner at the new station located at 6230 Lookout Road in Gunbarrel.
Approximately 700 people came and enjoyed dinner provided by Noodles and Co. While the youngsters were enjoying the bouncy house and the chance to explore the inside of the fire trucks, the grown-ups bid on silent auction items and purchased raffle tickets to support the department.

Boulder Rural Fire Chief Bruce Mygatt said the final numbers were not yet available, but that this event usually brings in between $7,000 and $9,000 for the Boulder Rural Firefighters Foundation, which supports in-house and outreach programs, as well as providing a source of support for firefighters in times of family emergencies.

In addition to raising money for the department, the spaghetti dinner offered residents a chance to get a first-hand look at the new fire station.
Although an office park might seem like an unlikely place for a fire station, Mygatt said they were very pleased with how it all turned out. Because they took over an existing building, they didn’t have to undergo an original site plan review through either the city or the county.

Turning an office building into a fire station wasn’t without its challenges, but Mygatt and the firefighters who live and work there are very pleased with the result.
Half of the building remained largely unchanged. Visitors can enter the lobby area and walk upstairs to the administrative offices and conference space. Behind a secure door are the bunk areas for firefighters on overnight shifts.
Mygatt said this was one of the most significant improvements in the quality of life for his crews. “Everyone has their own locker space and a designated sleeping space, which we didn’t have in the other location.”

Downstairs, department members have access to a large kitchen and living-room area, a fitness center and a training room.
The other half of the office building was completely gutted and outfitted with drains in the floor, ventilation in the ceiling and everything else necessary to house and maintain the department’s fleet of fire trucks and other vehicles.

In addition to being a much more comfortable space, Mygatt said that this location is a significant safety improvement for the firefighters and motorists. They have installed warning signals which flash yellow when a truck is leaving the station, and they can also control the stoplights at 63rd  Street and Spine Road, and 63rd Street and Lookout Road.

The new building is more than three times the size of the old one, and has more space than they really need. Mygatt said the idea was to create a multi-use, multi-agency building. They are still looking for the right tenant for a 1300-square-foot space on the ground floor of the building. Mygatt would love to have an ambulance company or some complementary agency occupy the space.

The new location benefits residents in the BRFD service area because the new station is approximately two miles closer to their call centroid - the geographic center of their calls. This has translated into a two- to three-minute faster response time for most of their calls.

Mygatt acknowledged that they are now a bit further from residents in the mountain communities served by Boulder Rural, but said that reciprocal response agreements between neighboring agencies ensure quick responses to all residents.
“With this new building, we’ve created a really professional environment for our department and our firefighters. We are so fortunate and so blessed to be here. We really want to thank the citizens who voted for the mill levy, our board and everyone else who helped make this happen.”
For more information, see www.brfd.org.

Photo by Liz Emmett-Mattox
Carter Hansen and Adrian Emmett-Mattox get balloons from Boulder Rural Firefighter Dave Cleveland at the Spaghetti Dinner.