Fire.
The Orchard Mesa Plan area is served by the City
of Grand Junction Fire Department (GJFD), the Grand Junction Rural
Fire District, Central Orchard Mesa Fire District, and Land’s
End Fire District (Appendix Map 21). A small area to the southeast
of 31 Road and A 1/8 Road is not included in any fire district. Also,
several properties in the southeast portion of the plan area located
south of Orchard Mesa Canal No. 2 are not within a fire district.
Most of these properties are undeveloped, although a few have structures.
Fire protection in areas outside fire district boundaries is the responsibility
of the MCSO. Fire protection on Bureau of Land Management property
is the responsibility of the BLM.
GJFD Station 4 is located at 251 27 Road. Based on the
City of Grand Junction Fire Facilities Plan 2013, there has been some
discussion regarding moving the station east to the Unaweep Avenue
and Alta Vista area. The plan identifies all areas within four minutes
estimated travel time from a station. The current location overlaps
with the coverage area of the main station at 6th Street and Pitkin
Avenue. Moving the station to the east would expand the area within
the four-minute response time, both on Orchard Mesa and in Pear Park.
Data indicates a 17 percent increase in call volume from 2011 to 2012.
However, the number of emergency medical service (EMS) calls decreased
from about 80 percent of total calls in 2011 to about 75 percent in
2012. (Table 9)
Table 9: Fire Station No. 4 Call Volume
|
---|
Station 4
|
2011
|
2012
|
---|
Total Responses
|
2625
|
3083
|
4 Minute Service Area
|
|
|
Total Incidents
|
540
|
664
|
Total EMS
|
431
|
496
|
Total Fire
|
98
|
116
|
Population
|
8894
|
8894
|
Population over 65
|
738
|
738
|
Source: City of Grand Junction Fire Facilities Plan
2013
|
Grand Junction Rural Fire District services are provided
by the Grand Junction Fire Department through a contract with the
City of Grand Junction. Grand Junction Rural Fire District revenues
are primarily derived from property taxes. The GJFD is operated as
a general fund department of the City.
Central Orchard Mesa Fire Department is a separate fire district.
It is a volunteer department managed by a five-member board. The station
is at 3253 B 1/2 Road. As of 2013, there were 13 volunteers. Most
of the volunteers are certified as emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
In 2012, the district had 108 calls, a decrease from prior years,
with about 70 percent of the calls for EMS and 30 percent for fire.
The majority of the fire calls are associated with field burning.
The district’s service area covers about 8.1 square miles and
includes approximately 800 households with an estimated 2,700 residents.
The service area extends from approximately 30 1/4 Road and A 1/2
Road eastward to 35 Road and D 1/4 Road, between Orchard Mesa Canal
No. 2 and the Colorado River. Through the Mesa County EMS Resolution,
the district covers an additional 17.9 square miles as a Rural Ambulance
Service Area; that area extends east to the National Forest. The district
is funded by taxes, grants and donations. Equipment includes three
engines, a water tender, two brush trucks and two ambulances.
Ongoing issues for the Central Orchard Mesa Fire District include
maintaining an adequate number of trained volunteers and water infrastructure
issues, including lack of water pressure, no water lines or no hydrants.
As a result, a water tender must be dispatched to all fire calls,
requiring more department resources. Also, Central Orchard Mesa’s
public protection classification (ISO rating) results in higher insurance
costs for residents.
Land’s End Fire District is a volunteer department, with
a station off Siminoe Road, south of Whitewater. The Colorado Law
Enforcement Training Center, drag strip, trap club and model airplane
club are within the Land’s End Fire District. However, Grand
Junction Rural Fire District may be more suited to respond to incidents,
based on location, staffing and equipment. All areas of Orchard Mesa
are covered by the County-wide mutual aid agreement for fire, EMS,
and other emergency services provided by fire departments in the County.
The County continues to encourage fire-wise site design and
construction in wildland-urban interface areas to keep homes safer
from wildfires by providing informational materials to property owners
and developers and through development review. The Mesa County Wildfire
Protection Plan provides recommendations to abate catastrophic wildfire
and minimize its impacts to communities. It includes a risk assessment
of numerous areas, including Orchard Mesa, along with recommendations
for fuel reduction and treatments, public education and actions for
homeowners.