Lack of fire service for West Fork residents in Dolores County has spurred an initial effort to explore forming a volunteer fire department.

But there are many hurdles ahead.

At a community meeting Monday, six property owners met with Dolores County and the Town of Dolores Fire Protection District (DFPD) board to discuss the matter.

DFPD covers northern Montezuma County, including the first four miles of the West Fork.

But the 85 home and cabins, including the Dunton Resort, in the Dolores County portion of the West Fork, are not within a fire district because of geographic isolation.

No fire service has obvious safety concerns, but it goes beyond that, said resident Steve Bollinger.

"I've tried to get fire insurance from four agencies, and they all turned me down," he said.

Residents said selling West Fork homes on the Dolores County side is also a challenge because mortgage companies require fire insurance, a barrier for potential buyers.

"I get a lot of calls from insurance companies about West Fork homes," said Mike Zion, Dolores fire chief. "Putting in a fire substation up there would improve your fire insurance rating."

Several options and issues were reviewed.

Expanding the town of Dolores Fire District to collect mill levy taxes from the Dolores County side of the West Fork would require an election and does not make financial sense.

"It would only bring in an additional $24,000 per year, and that is far too low cover the costs of service there," said Chris Majors, DFPD board member and accountant.

Officials said the best opportunity is to take advantage of Colorado's Volunteer Fire Department Organization Act passed this year to help rural neighborhoods like the West Fork and Groundhog area that lack emergency service.

It's not a special district with a mill levy, said Dennis Golbricht, Dolores County attorney. Rather it allows dues and fees to be collected from residents and opens up grant funding avenues.

"Under the new law, these volunteer nonprofit fire departments are recognized as governmental entities so they qualify for state grant funding from the Department of Local Affairs," he said. "DOLA is pretty responsive to rural needs such as this."

Grants could be obtained for the building and to buy a used fire engine and pumper truck, considered the minimum essential equipment.

And Dolores County commissioner Ernie Williams said the county is open to providing land for a substation, suggesting that the Fish Creek area would be a good location.

"We want to help, come to us with a list of names of organizers and a leader, and we will look into it further to see if you qualify under the new law," he said.

Creating a volunteer fire department in the West Fork would also allow for mutual aid agreements with nearby fire departments in Dolores and Rico.

Establishing a substation with equipment and maintaining it year to year will take sustained determination and commitment, officials said. Staffing it with volunteers and finding a grant writer is also a challenge, especially because many West Fork residents are part time.

"We would love to have a substation, but we need more than 6 of us to get on board," said resident Craig Cox.

Added another resident, "I've already put out three lightening fires near my home."

Getting some equipment and trained volunteers will make all the difference in saving a home on fire, said DFPD board member Duane Findley.

"Knocking it back with a fire truck in the first 15 minutes while waiting for mutual aid gives you a chance and is better than watching it burn," he said.

Installing dry hydrants with fire hoses that tap the river or a pond using a pump is another option for fighting a fire, officials said, and they can be engineered to access water under ice.

Finding leaders who are passionate about fire fighting is key to a successful volunteer department.

"Think outside the box, like providing free room and board for a trained volunteer to man the fire station in the summer," Majors said.

The Town of Dolores Fire District has been covering the area outside their district for decades, but recently announced they can no longer afford to do so. If they do respond to West Fork residents outside the district, they plan to charge the homeowners to cover costs.

"Our priority is to provide service within our district for the taxpayers who support us and pay for equipment and training," said Dolores Fire chief Mike Zion. "Our district calls keep going up, and responding out there takes a lot of time for our volunteers and is costly."

To get involved, contact Dolores County at (970) 677-2383.

jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com