With claims of low morale among some firefighters at the Aspen Fire Department and continued strained relationships between chief Rick Balentine and the heads of other public safety agencies, the special district is embarking on a strategic planning retreat this week. meeting with Rich Buchanan, a consultant hired to conduct the strategic-planning process.
Buchanan, who works for Sacramento, California-based AP Triton Consulting, will present to the board the results of two satisfaction surveys one of the community at large and the other of firefighters and paid staff.
At the board’s March 9 meeting, volunteer firefighter Ryan Warren, who is the president of the AVFD Inc. that represents the firefighters, said the results of that survey could very well indicate that there is dissatisfaction with Balentine as a leader.
Aspen Fire Chief Rick Balentine receives a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from family planning nurse Linda Vieira at the Community Health Services building in Aspen on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
Aspen Fire Chief Rick Balentine has been put on notice by the district board that he needs to improve his relationships with other local public safety agencies by June, when his contract likely will come up for renewal.
The Aspen Fire Protection District Board is putting Balentine on a six-month employment contract rather than an annual one-year or multi-year deal he has had since becoming chief in 2014. He had two consecutive three-year contracts and then a one-year deal, which expired Dec. 31.
Michael Latousek (left) survived not one but two heart attacks just 12 days apart and was the centerpiece of an award s ceremony organized by Roaring Fork Fire Rescue on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, in El Jebel. Fire Chief Scott Thompson reads an award for a lifesaver. Photo by Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times.
Basalt resident Michael Latousek considered himself a lucky man then December hit and left no doubt.
Latousek, 53, survived not one but two heart attacks just 12 days apart. He did it with a little help from his friends, his daughters and first responders.
Many of the people who played critical roles by acting fast and providing aid gathered Friday afternoon at an awards ceremony organized by Roaring Fork Fire Rescue.
Firefighters battle a structure fire Saturday morning in rural Carbondale. Courtesy photo
UPDATE: Garfield County Road 100 (Catherine Store Road) has been reopened in both directions, as of 4:25 p.m. Saturday, following the structure fire.
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Fire crews responded to a structure fire with explosions due to propane tanks and ammunition stored inside a rural Carbondale garage Saturday morning, the Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District reported in a Saturday news release.
The CRFPD responded to the fire at 11:21 a.m., at a rural residence along County Road 100 just east of Carbondale. Upon arrival, firefighters found a detached 40-foot by 60-foot garage/shop structure with an attached greenhouse that was fully involved with fire.
Firefighters battle a structure fire Saturday morning in rural Carbondale. Courtesy photo
Fire crews responded to a structure fire with explosions due to propane tanks and ammunition stored inside a rural Carbondale garage Saturday morning, the Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District reported in a Saturday news release.
The CRFPD responded to the fire at 11:21 a.m., at a rural residence along County Road 100 just east of Carbondale. Upon arrival, firefighters found a detached 40-foot by 60-foot garage/shop structure with an attached greenhouse that was fully involved with fire.
The fire was coming out of the garage doors, and a recreational vehicle inside the garage was burning, the release states.