Walk in the door at Mountain View Fire Rescue’s fire command center in Niwot, and there’s a giant supply room with rows of shelves. They’re filled to the brim with supplies for restocking engines and stations – from first aid kits to teddy bears.
These are just some of the features of the department’s new headquarters, a 38,000-square-foot building at Monarch Park Place. They shifted operations there last week from Stagecoach Road in Longmont. The department purchased and renovated the building using oil and gas revenues as well as additional capital from canceling two expansions at other facilities.
Fire Chief Pepper Valdez said while the move was administrative, his team and the cities he oversees were top of mind.
“We have a mission, right? And that's to take care of the community,” Valdez said.
The primary goal behind moving locations was to create more space for operations. On the main level is a conference room that seats around 170 people and is suited for joint agency operations and large board meetings. It also has several smaller classrooms for CPR and fire prevention training.
“The downstairs (of the old building) was challenging to try and shoehorn prevention, a boardroom, a multi-purpose room, all into the same kind of space,” said Rick Tillery, a spokesperson with Mountain View. “So this purchase allows us to consolidate a lot of operations into one building.”
The district that Mountain View serves is large, stretching from Eldorado Springs to Dacono. Before this, each division was spread out. Valdez said some firefighters could go months or years without seeing the faces of other people in the department.
“I can't stress enough the importance of having multiple divisions in the same location, “ he said. “Communication is a lot better. (And) hearing names and not seeing faces tends to tarnish a little bit, or it's not as close-knit of a feeling. What's most critical is having a family feeling.”
The building was designed to take care of firefighters. One of the main features is a fully-stocked workout room where firefighters can train if they’re on modified duty. Mountain View also has a partnership with a mobile health company to give physicals on-site in an exam room.
“(It’s) all about supporting those 170 firefighters, giving them the tools that they need, the education and the training that they need to be safe and to get back home to their families safely,” he said.
This building layout will also help with his team’s response to wildfires, Valdez said. Instead of having to hop on a call, he can walk down the hall and get information fast.
“Virtual only goes so far,” he said. “When you get to sit down with people and face to face, you get a lot more out of the conversations in the meetings.”
He said he's on edge going into this wildfire season, and “starts losing sleep” any time it gets hot and windy. But he’s confident in his team’s abilities.
“We have the consummate professionals that truly understand (and) grew up in these areas, so they know these places like the back of their hands and how things react under certain adverse conditions,” he said. “That'll help me sleep a little bit better.”
KUNC has a Northern Colorado Wildfire Resources page to post current wildfire updates, evacuation notices and more. You can check it out here.
