Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

Proposal to merge fire departments gets go-ahead by ratio of 3-1

Plan gives Denver 18 more firefighters, a station in Glendale

April M. Washington and Felix Doligosa Jr., Rocky Mountain News

Published May 4, 2005 at midnight

Text size  

More Colorado Government

More stories »

The Denver Fire Department just got bigger as voters approved its merger with the Glendale Fire Department on Tuesday.

By a margin of 73 percent to 27 percent, Denver voters passed a proposal to approve a City Charter change that clears the way for 18 Glendale firefighters to join the ranks of the Denver Fire Department.

Denver also gets a strategically located firehouse, plus two more engines and a firetruck from Glendale.

"I'm really happy for the guys in our fire department," said Glendale Mayor Larry Harte.

"We said all along we wanted to take care of our guys with this merger.

"This was the last hurdle we needed to overcome. This is a win-win for both cities," Harte said.

It's also a move that sets the stage for Denver to pursue similar mergers with other fire districts and small cities.

Most of Glendale's firefighters will now join Denver's ranks as first-grade firefighters, earning the top pay of nearly $60,000 annually. That reflects a $20,000 bump in pay for nearly all of Glendale's firefighters.

A no vote on Question 1B would have left Glendale firefighters, currently in training at the Denver fire academy, without a job.

"That would be tough, given many served citizens for 20 years," said Eric Tade, director of government affairs for the Denver Fire Department.

A no vote also would have forced Glendale to consider other options to increase and improve fire protection for the enclave east of South Colorado Boulevard that is home to 4,846 residents.

The 355-acre community is largely made up of apartment buildings and a bustling commercial center with 2.2 million square feet of office space.

Harte credited Mayor John Hickenlooper's administration and Glendale officials for the success of the merger.

The consolidation with Denver's department comes a year after a major fire swept through Glendale's Spanish Gate apartment complex, killing a 46-year-old woman who was on her balcony for at least an hour before she died.

"This allows us to cover an area (Glendale) that was difficult for us to get to," said Larry Trujillo, Denver Fire Department chief.

Talks surrounding the merger began a year before the deadly fire.

Fire protection costs have consumed a sizable chunk of Glendale's $15 million budget.

For its part, Glendale will get the fire protection of a big-city department, and it will come at a much cheaper cost.

Its taxpayers will pay Denver $1.8 million annually, saving Glendale nearly $1 million per year.

"Fire safety is such a big issue," Trujillo said.

"The amount of firefighters responding to an incident will serve Glendale and Denver well."

What's next

• The charter change finalizes a merger between the Denver and Glendale fire departments. The change also:

• Clears the way for most of Glendale's firefighters to join the Denver department as first-grade firefighters, earning top pay of nearly $60,000 a year.

• Gives Denver a strategically located firehouse. Glendale taxpayers will pay Denver $1.8 million a year to receive big-city fire protection.