Mountain View Fire Rescue and Rocky Mountain Fire District to merge in 2021

Boulder County is home to 22 individual fire districts, but that will soon change when two districts merge next year.

Rocky Mountain Fire District (RMF) was formally created in 2007, but has its roots in the Cherryvale Fire Protection District east of Boulder that originally formed in 1958. Mountain View Fire Rescue (MVFR), meanwhile, has its roots in the Longmont Rural Fire Department and has since incorporated other areas of Boulder County and Weld County.

"It's been a history of consolidations," said MVFR Chief Dave Beebe.

So, with this tradition of consolidations already in place--both in Boulder County and even across the state--it seemed a logical step to combine MVFR and RMF into one, larger district.

The formal merge will cover about 250 square miles and serve approximately 85,000 residents in Dacono, Erie, Mead, Superior and some unincorporated parts of Boulder, Jefferson and Weld Counties, including Niwot and parts of Gunbarrel. The process for mergers is regulated by the state. "What we are doing in this case is an inclusion/dissolution," Beebe said. "RMF is dissolving and folding into MVFR. It does not require a vote because there is not a tax increase associated with the inclusion. Current RMF customers will see an approximately three mil decrease due to the inclusion. There are quite a few legal steps to the process that our attorneys are working on. We will be conducting community meetings later this year to discuss the process and merits of the inclusion with our customers."

"For each one of those [fire departments], you have to have a chief and a training person," RMF Chief Tombolato said. "They all provide different levels of service, it's just ineffective, there's so much duplication. [Through the merger, we are] looking to reduce some of the duplications and provide better service."

While the merger would eliminate duplicate roles within the fire districts, it would create opportunities in some areas. For example, improved community outreach and communication is a goal for this merger, but since both districts currently have limited resources, it's not something either can readily address.

The merged department will be better equipped to train personnel with a standard set of protocols, providing a consistent level of service to the community. Currently, fire departments often have to call on neighboring departments for help with larger fires. It's possible that each department has a different set of procedures, which can create miscommunication. With the merged department, the hope is that they will be able to handle most emergencies in house without having to ask for mutual aid.

The merged department will be more sustainable for employees with a greater possibility of advancement within the organization itself.

This merger does not just provide the opportunity for better service to its constituents. Financially, those formerly served by RMF will see a decrease in their mill levy. "It's feasible to lower their mill levy and provide the same level of service," said Beebe.

"We recognized that we can deliver quality services," Tombolato said. "We'll have the most employees, the most people to serve... [The community] will see the efficiencies...We believe it is the future and are just trying to do the best for our customers and our employees."