Cortez Fire Protection District (CFPD) is a special local government district formed to provide fire and emergency medical services. The Fire District is governed by an elected board consisting of five members. The five members are residents of the District or property owners of taxable real or personal property situated within the District.

To report a fire or emergency, dial 9-1-1. By dialing the Cortez Fire Protection District phone number, you are delaying the response by first responders to the emergency. By dialing 9-1-1, you will be connected with a dispatch center who will send the appropriate personnel to assist with the emergency. For non-emergencies, you can dial the “Dispatch non-emergency” number (970) 565-8454.

Funding for CFPD comes from property taxes (2014 levy), donations, CPR classes and the sale of address signs.

The Cortez Fire Protection District is 169 square miles. The District extends as far west as the Utah border.

There are may reasons to provide emergency services to a community via a career fire department. The District’s population is quickly growing and with that growth comes an increase in emergency calls. Every year, CFPD’s calls have increased and with that increase comes the need for updated and specialized equipment.

Related to call volume is the ability to respond. In the past, employers were more accepting to allowing firefighters to respond during working hours, but due to the increasing run volume of the district, employers have been known to reduce or disallow the release of firefighters to respond.

There are three, full time structure fire shifts consisting of four Fire/Medics, one Captain and one Battalion Chief. In addition to the structural firefighting crew, there is a seasonal wildland team.

Providing the personal protective equipment needed for a firefighter to appropriately do their job costs over $30,000. This includes station wear and tools, but not specialized equipment such as a Thermal Imaging Camera (TIC).

Each set of bunker gear is custom fitted to the firefighter. Per National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the clothing has a ten (10) year lifespan, at which time the gear is retired. If damaged during use, the gear can be repaired, but most often its retired early.

Spending for the fire district is governed by the Board of Directors. Fiscal responsibility is always a priority since monies are received through property taxes and donations.

Many times medical calls need more emergency personnel than are on the responding medical unit. All of the CFPD personnel are medically trained either as EMR’s, EMT’s or Paramedics. CFPD is there to assist by either providing medical care, assisting with transportation, or providing initial treatment while the medical unit is on their way.

As stated in our Mission Statement, Cortez Fire Protection District is a “professional emergency service organization”. This means the fire department responds 24/7 to assist the District’s residents. From April to mid November 2023, CFPD has responded and arrived before the ambulance in over 40% medical calls. Many times during medical calls, the sooner treatment begins, the better the outcome will be.

NFPA 1710 is the Standard for response times for career departments. Click on the tab below for more information.

While it may seem odd that the fire truck gets to park right outside of the store’s entrance, but there’s a reason why. The crew needs to get to the emergency scene as fast as possible, so keeping the truck in a location where it’s easily accessible and can exit the parking lot quickly, allows for a quicker response time to the emergency. Not all firefighters leave the truck though. The driver (or engineer) always stays with the truck and is in constant radio communication with the crew.

Many times the CFPD fire trucks are seen driving within the district without their lights on. During the day, those on shift have many duties to accomplish while on duty. While out of the station, they may be traveling to a school to assist with a drill, training, they may be traveling to get fuel, coming back from an emergency run or coming back from the grocery store where they were purchasing groceries for their shift. Keep in mind that members on duty must stay together since an emergency call could occur at any time and the entire crew must respond.

Many see firefighters at the grocery store and ask why they are shopping during working hours. Keep in mind that the CFPD firefighters work a forty-eight hour shift. This means that they sleep at the fire station and eat at the fire station. While some bring their own food, others contribute their own money for “mess” and take turns preparing meals .

This is a great time for the firefighters to discuss business and to build comradery, a necessity in the profession of firefighting.

Firefighting is a very physically challenging profession. Firefighters need to stay in shape and be able to carry the heavy equipment and gear. In addition, heat stress and the ability to work at an increased pace for long periods of time are requirements for the job.

If you see a fire truck approaching from behind, turn on your right turn signal to indicate to the fire truck driver that you acknowledge their presence, then calmly pull over to the right side of the road. If the berm is too narrow to pull over, still turn on your right turn signal or hazards, calmly slow down and pull into the right lane. Normally the fire truck will be traveling in the left or passing lane.

The air horn of the fire truck is used to ask for permission to enter into an intersection or pass traffic. The siren and horn have different frequencies so hopefully those driving will act accordingly and pull over to allow the emergency vehicle to pass safely.