Falcon Fire Protection District

Falcon Fire Protection District traces its roots to 1975, when it organized as a volunteer department; it incorporated in 1977 and formed as a special district under Colorado law in 1981. The district covers 113 square miles of unincorporated El Paso County stretching from Peyton Highway and County Line Road down to Marksheffel Road and Colorado Highway 94, serving a population of more than 66,300 residents and protecting over 16,100 structures valued at roughly $4.2 billion.

Operations run out of five stations, three of which (Stations 1, 3, and 4) are staffed around the clock, while Stations 2 and 6 serve as unstaffed maintenance and equipment facilities; the district has discussed adding living quarters at Station 2 to expand 24/7 coverage. The fleet includes engines, a four-wheel-drive engine, a pumper/tender, ambulances, water tenders, brush trucks, quick-response vehicles, utility trucks, and a command vehicle. The district responded to 4,116 calls in 2024, up slightly from 3,973 in 2023, with a five-member publicly elected Board of Directors overseeing a combined career and volunteer/reserve workforce led by a Fire Chief and Deputy Chief.

Like many special districts, Falcon Fire is funded primarily through property tax revenue with no county or state support, and it describes funding as one of its biggest ongoing challenges given one of the lowest mill levies in the area, which affects staffing, equipment, and infrastructure investment.

Falcon Fire hires full-time firefighters and paramedics to work a 48-hours-on/96-hours-off schedule, with promotion to Driver/Operator and Officer available through additional training, state certification, and a class-ranking system; paramedics are hired primarily for EMS response and ambulance transport. The district also maintains a reserve firefighter program as an entry point for volunteers. No positions were listed as open at the time of review.