$24,135 raised by 91 donors
100% complete
$2,000 Goal
Our small, rural fire department wants to comply with NFPA standards and our need is 4 sets of SCBA's with oxygen tanks and 2 sets of personal protect gear so fire fighters can work structure and car fires.
VFD of Big Elk was toned to a home for a female having a possible heart attack. Our Medical responders were there with in minutes. The drive-way in and out of her home is very steep and so she was taken from her home to an ambulance from Estes Park where paramedics prepared her for a flight on Northern Med E-Vac helicopter to a hospital that specializes in cardiac cases. The couple was most pleased with our response and thanked us several times.
As volunteers and within the capabilities of our equipment and training, we are pledged to protect the people of the Big Elk community area from emergencies and natural disasters, and to render assistance in the event of medical emergencies. Beyond the immediate safety of our neighbors, we also strive to protect the forests which surround us and the homes in which we live.
Since the early 1960s our mountain community of Big Elk Meadows has had fire and rescue volunteers. Reorganized as a 501(c)(3), the Volunteer Fire Department of Big Elk was incorporated October 29, 1999.
We respond to emergencies within a 20-square mile area which includes our community of 163 homes and Roosevelt National Forest. A mutual aid contract with neighboring Pinewood Springs Fire Protection District expands the coverage area to emergencies on County Road 47 and along the Highway 36 corridor, heavily traveled by motorists heading to the resort town of Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park. The biggest threat is wildland fire - our department patrols Johnny Park, a popular camping area, where an average of 21 abandoned campfires are put out each year.
Today we have 10 active members who give of their time to be trained and therefore become certified or re-certified. Our training involves search and rescue, ice rescue, wildland fire certification, SCBA training (for structure fires), emergency medical response, CPR, and EMT courses, Jaws of Life extrication training, helicopter operations and remote rescue, communications (radios and traffic), maintenance and competency skills on our six fire engines, from the UTV to a 1500-gallon tender. Many in the community are affiliated with the fire department by volunteering for our various fundraisers and chores; there is no paid staff.
The Colorado Flood in 2013 put our Fire Department into action. It started as one lake after another became destroyed by the impact of so much water flowing off the mountains around us as it continued to rain. Our county road and Highway 36 were destroyed and really unusable. Everyone had to evacuate so fire fighters helped many to get to the helicopters where the residents were taken to either Boulder or Loveland. Many volunteers who stayed behind worked long checking each home and turning off the propane tanks. Because of those volunteers and leadership everyone was safe. The Department lost one truck which has been replaced our Fire Department has recovered as has our mountain community.
Organization name
Volunteer Fire Department of Big Elk
other names
Big Elk Fire
1999
Tax id (EIN)
84-1516765
Category
Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness & Relief
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
42 Willow Dr.Other
Volunteer Fire Department of Big Elk 42 Willow DriveBoulder County, CO, US