A fire protection district, like Chaffee County Fire, is a special-purpose government entity designed to provide fire & emergency services, often covering unincorporated areas or multiple communities (Buena Vista - Contracted - and Poncha Springs) over a specific region, funded primarily through dedicated property taxes.

Fire protection districts differ specifically from fire departments because fire departments are usually governed by city council or municipal management, whereas fire districts operate independently and are typically governed by an elected board of directors. While both fire districts and fire departments provide emergency services, fire districts often have more apparatus suited for it's rural coverage areas, such as water tenders (tankers) and brush trucks. 

Fire, when controlled properly, can be a very useful tool in providing heat, cooking, mitigation, or other uses. However, when fire gets out if control it becomes extremely dangerous and threatening to society. Chaffee County Fire responds to a variety of fire related incidents. There are many factors involved in extinguishing any given fire such as the type of fire, the extent of the fire, and what is actually on fire.

Common types of fires:

• Structure fire: A fire within any sort of man-made structure or building
• Wildland Fire: A fire in any open field, forest, or combination thereof
• Dumpster (or trash) fire: A fire within a trash receptacle or gathering of trash
• Kitchen fire: A fire started from cooking efforts that is fueled by the cooking process (such as grease)
• Bon fire: Typically a large pile of combustible products set on fire
• Pit fire: Commonly a small fire set in an outdoor fireplace
• Flammable liquids fire: A fire that is fueled by a substance such as gasoline, etc.

Our mountainous roads and ever changing road conditions make motor vehicle accidents a major component of the calls for service we assist on. For response to motor vehicle accidents CCFPD has two medium rescue units equipped with extrication equipment (jaws of life), stabilization, lighting, and rope rescue equipment. The rescue units are housed at Stations 3 and 4. Additionally, Stations 1, 2, and 5 have extrication equipment on the fire engines for response.

Common causes of motor vehicle accidents:

• Driving inappropriately for conditions
• Distracted driving (texting, talking on phone, adjusting radio, etc.)
• Wildlife in roadway

To check the weather & road conditions in the Chaffee County area, please follow the link below. 

CDOT Weather & Road Conditions

CCFPD responds to various reports of hazardous conditions, from chemical spills to carbon monoxide alarms to odor investigations. Many CCFPD personnel are trained to the Hazardous Materials Operations level with two (2) Hazardous Materials Technicians, which means we can recognize and contain most materials that are encountered. CCFPD has two Hazardous Materials response trailers equipped with supplies to control and contain most hazardous materials incidents. For hazardous materials incidents beyond our capabilities CCFPD relies on resources from the South Central Hazmat Region who have additional training and specialized equipment.

Occasionally CCFPD responds to specialty incidents that are unique and infrequent. These types of incidents include mass casualty incidents, technical rescue, Swift water rescue, aircraft emergencies, law enforcement standby, bomb scares, etc. While CCFPD is trained in the basics to assist on these types of incidents, we often request mutual aid from resources that specialize in these responses.

CCFPD responds to a number of service calls each year. These calls range from changing batteries in smoke detectors to flooding to animal situations. Often CCFPD is able to resolve the problem prior to the situation getting worse and/or refer the situation to the proper resources who can fix the issue. Such as contacting Colorado Parks and Wildland on animal related issues.

CCFPD provides a wide variety of safety and education opportunities to our local communities.

These topics include:

• Fire Safety
• Fire Extinguisher Use
• Wildfire Mitigation
• CPR/First-Aid Training 

To name a few...

We are currently working on building up our public education oppiortunities, so keep an eye on our website & social media pages to stay informed of new education opportunities!

You can also visit our Public Education Page for more details.

Also check out our Facebook page as well as our "News & Announcements" page for our monthly "Coffee with Chaffee Fire" event, hosted once a month at several local coffee shops in Buena Vista on the first Monday of the month and the 2nd Friday of the month in Poncha Springs!  

In addition to in Fire District and Mutual aid assistance CCFPD provides equipment and personnel to assist on major wildland fires in Colorado and throughout the Nation. Over the last few years CCFPD has sent brush trucks and tenders to fires in Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and California.

What is a Special District 

Special Districts in Colorado are a form of local government designed to meet specific service needs for the communities that they serve. Most special districts perform a single function, managing local government functions such as: cemetary management, healthcare, library functions and fire departments, to name a few. 

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