Two fire districts that serve the foothills and towns surrounding Longmont plan to merge and provide coverage of more than 250 square miles and 85,000 residents.
Mountain View Fire Rescue and Rocky Mountain Fire District officials say joining forces will provide “more robust and efficient response capability as well as allow the enhancement of emergency planning activities, prevention, and education.”
The districts, in a joint statement released in early May, also said cost sharing and long-term financial planning played into the decision. There is no indication when the merger will be complete.
The chiefs of both departments could not be reached for comment.
Emergency Services Consulting Incorporated, or ESCI, conducted a feasibility study of a possible merger. The company weighed several issues surrounding a joining of the two districts.
ESCI produced its findings in October 2019, which showed a merge would benefit both organizations, the statement said.
The boards of both fire districts approved moving ahead with the merger. An executive leadership team formed from both agencies is identifying the steps needed to finish the consolidation, according to the statement.
Community comments and engagement sessions will be held in the near future as formal details are finalized, the districts stated.
Boulder-based Rocky Mountain Fire District serves about 30,000 residents over 65 square miles, including the communities of Superior, Eldorado Springs, Marshall, Flagstaff and unincorporated Boulder County, according to the district’s website. The district’s 12 firefighters and paramedics cover a diverse mix of industrial, commercial, residential and wildland areas with elevations ranging from 5,200-8,500-feet.
The district includes four four stations.
Mountain View, which includes 113 personnel, handles both fire and emergency medical services for 184 square miles including Dacono, Erie, Mead, Niwot and unincorporated areas of Boulder and Weld counties, according to the district.
