This month’s meeting of the RCVFD Board is at 6 pm Wednesday, April 20, at Fire Station 1, 11835 Rist Canyon Road. All Rist Canyon area residents are welcome to attend. If you would like to receive a copy of the agenda before the meeting, please email your name, email address, and phone number no later than April 13 to the RCVFD Board Secretary at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please note that the agenda will arrive 1-2 days before the scheduled meeting.

This month’s meeting of the RCVFD Board is at 6 pm Wednesday, March 16, and will be held at Fire Station 1, 11835 Rist Canyon Road. All Rist Canyon area residents are welcome to attend. If you would like to receive a copy of the agenda before the meeting, please email your name, email address, and phone number no later than Saturday, March 12, to the RCVFD Board Secretary at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please note that the agenda will arrive 1-2 days before the scheduled meeting.

Due to the inclement weather forecast for tomorrow night (Wednesday, Feb. 16), the RCVFD Board meeting will not take place in person at the fire station as originally planned. Rather, the meeting will be by Zoom at 6 pm. If you wish to receive the Zoom connection information, please email the Board Secretary at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. right away. Please include your name, email address, and phone number.

This month’s meeting of the RCVFD Board is at 6 pm Wednesday, Feb. 16, and will be held at Fire Station 1, 11835 Rist Canyon Road. All Rist Canyon area residents are welcome to attend. If you would like to receive a copy of the agenda before the meeting, please email your name, email address, and phone number no later than Wednesday, Feb. 9, to the RCVFD Board Secretary at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please note that the agenda will arrive 1-2 days before the scheduled meeting.

Norm Miller was a firefighter and EMT with us for about 20 years, but that doesn't begin to describe how important he was to our department and our community. For many years he maintained the trucks and Station 1 to make sure we would always be ready when the call came in. He was a primary responder for that entire time, participating in every call he could, no matter the hour. His outgoing nature and friendly demeanor, not to mention his iconic and ever-present pipe, was often the first impression that new recruits formed about our department, and really set the tone for open and accepting culture that has pervaded RCVFD. He was always patient and kind, providing help to anyone that needed it.

Despite his major role in our story, we were but a single chapter of his. He served in the US Army, stationed in Germany as a mechanic, and volunteered for the Colorado Ski Patrol. He was a lifelong ham radio operator, a pilot, and part of a barbershop quartet. He rebuilt Porsches and VWs in his home garage after being a mechanic for many years. He even won the first ever race at Continental Divide Raceway in a silver Porsche 356 Speedster. The list goes on and on.

Norm is survived by his wife Joan, daughters Lynn and Diane, and an entire family of heartbroken Rist Canyon Firefighters.

 

This month’s meeting of the RCVFD Board is at 6 pm Wednesday, January 19, and will be held by Zoom. All Rist Canyon area residents are welcome to participate. To receive a Zoom invitation and the meeting agenda, please email your name, email address, and phone number no later than Wednesday, January 12, to the RCVFD Board Secretary at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please note that the Zoom invitation and agenda will arrive 1-2 days before the scheduled meeting.

Leisa Taylor
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The Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department has sent a brush truck, engine 613 with three firefighters, Phil Benstein, Jesse Ceplecha, and Mark Neuroth to help with the Boulder County fires. They are part of a strike team and will be on scene as long as they are needed. Please keep these three and all the other fire fighting personnel in your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Jeff Elsner, Chief
Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department
P.O. Box 2
Bellvue, CO 80512
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The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from 8 AM to 5 PM MST Wednesday. This Red Flag Warning includes the RCVFD response area.

• Affected Area...Fire Weather Zones 215, 216, 238, 239, 240, 241, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247 and 249.


• Timing...8 am to 5 pm MST Wednesday


• Winds...West 35 to 45 mph with gusts up to 80 mph.


• Relative Humidity...As low as 15 percent.


• Impacts...Conditions will be conducive to the rapid spread of new fires. Probability of ignition will increase. Avoid any burning or outdoor activities that may cause sparks, and abide by established fire restrictions.

The following is a release from Reghan Cloudman of the US Forest Service:

Firefighters on the Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the Roosevelt National Forest have begun prescribed fire operations on Dec. 2, 2021, on the Magic Feather Prescribed Burn to improve forest health.

Burning is planned on the interior of already established blacklines around the unit, providing a control feature, and staffing will be over the minimum levels identified in the burn plan. Timing of this is meant to take advantage of conditions that allows the burn to more closely mimic natural fire behavior in these types of fuels, allowing fire to carry throughout the burn unit to meet the burn objectives.

This burn is located east and southeast of Red Feather Lakes. Burning operations could include one unit totaling approximately 300 acres, located north of County Road 74E (Red Feather Lakes Road). Work has already taken place in the area to prepare for ignitions, including tree cutting around the perimeter and within the interior of the project.

Appropriate, localized conditions must be met before ignition of prescribed burns can take place. Fire managers have been carefully monitoring these conditions, including favorable weather forecast (temperature, wind, precipitation, relative humidity), fuel moisture, smoke dispersal and staffing. Weather is monitored throughout the burn and burning will be halted if conditions fall outside of the required conditions.

Residents and visitors in the area should expect to see smoke when operations are taking place. The Mount Margaret Trail system will be closed during operations. Please follow all signage. Smoke may also impact those using the Dowdy Lake Campgrounds and Day-Use Area.

To get added to the email notification list for when burning begins in this area, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Magic Feather.” Additional information may be found on inciweb. Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. More information about smoke impacts is available at https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.

Found Great Pyrenees on Sunday 11/21/21. Large male, sweet boy, young, neutered, but not chipped. He is currently in Poudre Canyon in the Poudre Park area. Please reach out if you know who he might belong to.

My # is 970-493-1949.
Thank you!

Meekin Owens