On a Thursday afternoon, a rain storm drenched the mountains surrounding the Allenspark Fire Protection District’s Station No. 1 off of Colo. 7.
As water tapped against the roof, Stephen Coles , vice president of the Allenspark Fire Protection District , gathered with staff around a table with a stack of papers at the ready.
The papers Coles held contained correspondence with county commissioners, forest property numbers, a newspaper article and other information he hopes will provide a clear picture of how federal funding could help rural fire protection districts keep the homes and forest landscape in Boulder County’s rural fringes safe.
While the wilderness surrounding the Allenspark station attracts tourists and residents alike to the area, federal lands don’t produce tax revenue, which many rural fire departments rely on as a major source of operations funding.