About RCVFD
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Some pictures from the RCVFD Festival 2018 Sept 7-9 . Many thanks to the the people involved to make it happen. It was a huge success
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RCVFD is Donation Based and Tax Exempt (501c3). Any donation you make to RCVFD will be tax exempt and can be deducted.
Donations can also be sent to:
RCVFD - Treasurer
PO Box 2
Bellvue, CO 80512
Questions, contact the Treasurer on the contact page.
April 2018 RCVFD Station 1 CO
RCVFD hosted an all-day wildland fire refresher. The photos show us deploying practice shelters, learning new CPR protocols, getting our safety reminder from the chief and Claudia giving us an afternoon 5 min yoga break. Please enjoy the photos!
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September 22, 2017 Ben Delatour Boy Scout Ranch Red Feather Lakes CO
RCVFD participated as part of a multi-agency task force for a prescribed burn operation at the Boy Scout Ranch. Under leadership of The Nature Conservancy, we were able to introduce a healthy controlled fire of ~300 acres to the ranch. Besides preventing a future high severity burn, the prescribed fire had many additional benefits. These benefits included establishment of diverse wildlife habit, increases forest heath, watershed protection, reduction of invasive species and capacity building for future burns. RCVFD directly benefited by acquiring skills to "fight fire with fire". Along side USFS, Poudre Canyon Fire, LCES, LSCO, CSU, Poudre River Coalition and other agencies and volunteer groups we accomplished an awesome amount of work. Please enjoy the photos!
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Auto Extrication is a complicated process. A patient or a number of patients are trapped in a car. The dash is smashed in and downward due to the force of the accident. The steering wheel has been forced down onto the legs of the driver so he is trapped also. On top of everything the vehicle is rocking about to fall down a hill. This is auto extrication: a skill we at the fire department hope we never have to use but it is something we practice.....
On September 10 2017, RCVFD was fortunate to participate in this very special training by Poudre Canyon Fire Protection District PCFPD. Before we go on... thank you Poudre Canyon Fire!!!
In the parking lot of the beautiful Shambhala Mountain Center campus, Tony Falbo from Poudre Canyon Fire taught us some of his "jaws of life" skills as well as how to quickly and efficiently work as a team to free auto-accident victim. From stabilizing the vehicle, punching and cutting out the windows, to cutting the posts, lifting off the roof, we used a variety of hydraulically powered tools to pry the vehicle open. Over the course of a day we went through it all and took apart 4 cars in the process.
We appreciate Tony and the rest of the Poudre Canyon crew for putting together an excellent training. Neighboring fire departments training together is one of the many ways we strengthen our mountain communities. Enjoy the photos!
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Sept 3 was the annual RCVFD festival. We wanted to thank the hundreds of volunteers and participants that made this year's festival a huge success. The gallery of photos are from Vicky Jordan(all the good ones) and a few from Phil Benstein.
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July 22, 2017 RCVFD responded to an urgent request for mutual aid to help with the Spring Glade Wildfire. The fire was located at Coyote Ridge Nature Reserve in south Fort Collins. We were able to staff a type 6 engine as well as our type 3. Over 15 agencies were present. RCVFD was proud to be part of a strike force and fight the fire alongside our awesome partners from Glacier View VFA, Livermore VFA and Wellington FD. Our team was led by a supervisor from Larimer County Emergency Services. At the time of these photos the fire had burned ~360 acres. Check out some of these great pictures from Eddie Franklin,Katheryn Touran and Erik Williams!
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10 Ways Your Can Help Support RCVFD
- Drop the Chief and email and let us know how we are doing - Contact Us
- Donate to RCVFD Donate Now!
- Help out with the Rist Canyon Mountain Festival -from books to booths and pieces of art to pies...we need your help to pull this off!
- Attend the Annual Meeting hmmmm potluck!
- Support your business with an ad in Ristwatch Contact the RistWatch Editor
- Run for one of the Board of Directors positions (this is an annual position and so much fun) BOD Officers are elected by the General Membership. consist of President, Immediate Past-President, First Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Area Representatives and Newsletter Editor.Contact the BOD President
- Become a responder. See the section Meetings are 2nd Wed each month More information on responding here
- Bake a pie for the responders Wed night meeting.... they love pie
- Purchase a reflective address sign for the driveway to your home. This makes it a lot easier to find you and your neighbors
- Did I mention Donate Now!
In 2011 we suffered the Crystal Fire. This fire, which was man caused, started on Crystal Mountain south west of the Buckhorn. Initially contained to about 20 acres, the Crystal fire was fanned by a sudden nighttime windstorm with winds reaching 70mph or more. The fire grew to over 3000 acres in a matter of minutes and destroyed several homes. Because the wind struck very late at night, it was a critical and life threatening situation. The Crystal fire was the first major fire in the RCVFD area in 30 plus years.
On June 9, 2012, a lightning-sparked fire in the Buckhorn became the wind driven inferno known as the High Park fire. High Park burned over 89,000 acres and destroyed some 254 homes and countless other buildings and took 1 life. The area was evacuated for nearly 21 days. Two years later, RCVFD and our community is recovering – showing a determination and effort that is truly amazing.
September 2013 floods In 2013 the front range of Colorado had an extended upslope storm that dumped 14.6 inches of rain at RCVFD station 1. This storm caused a 500-1000 year flood event that destroyed roads and properties up and down the Colorado front range. Because of High Park, and the expected flooding that comes after a wildland fire, RCVFD and our residents weathered the flood better than most. We had been preparing for flooding from the High Park burn for a year. Still, of the 3 roads in the RCVFD area, only Rist Canyon Road survived and it was damaged. Since then, Rist Canyon, Stove Prairie and the upper Buckhorn roads have been repaired (though the upper Buckhorn is a temporary repair). The lower Buckhorn remains closed. That road will be rebuilt during 2014.
hrough all these events, the men and women of RCVFD and the community we live in rallied and responded. The High Park fire response is a model of response and interagency cooperation. The years of planning and training at RCVFD, and work in our community, paid off during High Park. While it was an event without parallel, it was a model of human resources. After High Park, RCVFD Chief Robert Gann was awarded the first ever Wildland Safety Exemplary Service Award by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) at the 2013 Backyards and Beyond conference.
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Station 4, which burned in the High Park Fire in 2012, had its grand opening in Whale Rock on October 13, 2015. Thanks to all those who donated time, effort, and materials to make rebuilding Station 4 a reality. Special thanks go to FCI Constructors and RMMI.
Station 4 houses engines 641 and 642, and is designed to meet ISO 9 certification requirements. That means that residents in the Whale Rock area may be able to get significant breaks on their home insurance. We are currently working on formally receiving that ISO 9 certification. Once it's complete, talk to your insurance agent!
For more information on our fire stations and the equipment at each one, have a look at Homeowner Information.