To Protect Lives and Property

To Protect Lives and Property. Historic Olde Town Walking Tour. , For 100 years, loyal, dedicated and highly trained volunteers and professional firefighters have served Arvada with one endearing mission: To protect lives and property , 1907-1949 The Early Years , One Organization One Mission , Early in Arvada’s history, loosely organized volunteer citizens, farmers, and businessmen fought fires in Arvada. In 1911, these volunteers organized the Arvada Volunteer Fire Department (the Department). Members volunteered spare time to develop, train, and staff the Department. Officers, including the fire chief, were elected by the members. , The town, and later the city, funded fire equipment, but firefighters’ personal equipment and expenses were covered by donations, community dances and other fundraisers. , Originally, firefighters were summoned to emergencies by a loud whistle. Later, a siren blasted the summons. And still later, the town operator phoned emergencies to each member. The Department governed itself, while volunteers worked for the Town/City. The focus was on modernizing equipment and extensive professional training. , 1949-1999 , Two Organizations. One Mission , The area and population protected by the Department grew rapidly and the demand for services soared. City funding for equipment was inadequate to match this growth. The Department called for a special tax district, which the voters approved, creating the Arvada Fire Protection District. All equipment and administrative responsibilities were transferred from the City to the District and the District was fully funded by tax revenues. The Department continued its firefighting mission. , The Arvada Fire Protection District (the District) , - Governed by a Board of Directors , - Administered by the District , - Purchased and maintained equipment , - Built fire stations (the first in 1952) , - Hired paid staff starting in 1958 (fire marshals, inspectors, dispatchers, and maintenance workers) , - Became key in enacting state legislation to legitimize fire safety , - Championed volunteer firefighters’ benefits , The Arvada Volunteer Fire Department (the Department) , - Contracted with the District to fight fires using equipment owned by the District , - Among first in the region to conduct formalized firefighting and other specialized training. , - Fought many large and dangerous fires during the 1970s and 1980s , - Recognized as the largest all-volunteer fire department west of the Mississippi, with 180 volunteer members., 1999-2011 , One Organization One Mission , To continue to serve the every-expanding service area, the District and the Department merged, a dramatic change in organization but not mission. The District assumed responsibility for fire fighting as well as operations and administration duties and the Department disbanded. Paid professional career fire fighters were hired (most from the volunteer ranks). The District changed from a predominantly volunteer organization to a career organization with reserve and volunteer fire fighters enhancing staff. By 2011, the District had grown to eight stations, fully staffed by trained, paid professionals, operating with state of the art equipment, protecting approximately 40 square miles of residential, commercial, and light industrial properties.