In a mobile home park where the Eastern Plains meet the Denver suburbs, the Sable Altura fire station sticks out like a sore thumb from its modest surroundings. Its fire engines are state-of-the-art — shiny trucks you’d find at one of the big metro fire departments 20 miles west. The trouble is: Years after replacing its run-down vehicles with the help of grant dollars, the ever-shrinking district can’t afford to hire firefighters to operate them. District officials insist they make do with what they have, but what they have isn’t enough to reliably respond to emergencies 24/7. Wages are low. Turnover is high. Volunteerism is down. Costs are up.