08/26/2026
Rye Fire Protection District
Top 10 Critical Needs
1. Increase Daily Staffing to a Minimum of Six Personnel
The District’s most immediate need is sufficient on-duty staffing to safely handle simultaneous fire and EMS incidents.
Goal: Maintain a minimum of six operational personnel on duty every day, allowing the District to staff two response crews and provide a meaningful initial response while additionalresources are requested.
2. Increase Full-Time Career Staffing
Part-time personnel are valuable, but relying heavily on part-time availability makes consistent daily staffing difficult.
Goal: Add enough full-time firefighter/EMT and firefighter/paramedic positions to establish predictable minimum staffing 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
3. Establish Sustainable Long-Term Funding
Staffing, apparatus, equipment, facilities, insurance, fuel, training, and wages continue to increase in cost.
Goal: Establish a sustainable revenue model that allows the District to maintain appropriate staffing and services without continually operating at the edge of available funding.
4. Apparatus Replacement Program
Fire engines, ambulances, brush trucks, tenders, and support vehicles have finite service lives. Replacement cannot wait until a vehicle fails.
Goal: Establish and fund a formal 10–20 year apparatus replacement schedule with annual capital reserves.
5. Improve Wildland Fire Capability
Wildland fire represents a significant threat throughout the Greenhorn Valley, particularly along the wildland-urban interface.
Goal: Continue improving Type 3/Type 6 capability, PPE, communications, water supply, firefighter qualifications, mitigation programs, and rapid initial-attack staffing.
6. Strengthen EMS and Paramedic Coverage
EMS represents a major component of the District’s workload. A single medical incident can consume most or all available on-duty personnel.
Goal: Maintain reliable ALS capability and enough staffing to handle a second emergency while an ambulance and crew are committed to an EMS call or transport.
7. Improve Station Coverage and Deployment
Rye Fire operates from two stations while protecting a very large and geographically diverse district.
Goal: Develop a deployment model that provides dependable coverage from both the Colorado City and Rye areas and reduces the likelihood that large portions of the District are left without immediately available resources.
8. Recruitment, Retention, Pay and Benefits
Experienced firefighters, EMTs and paramedics are expensive to replace. Competitive compensation is critical for retaining trained personnel.
Goal: Maintain competitive wages, benefits, career development opportunities, promotional pathways, and working conditions that make Rye Fire a department where qualified personnel want to build a career.
9. Training, Technology and Communications
Modern fire and EMS operations require continuous training, reliable radios, reporting systems, mapping, preplans and interoperable communications.
Goal: Maintain dedicated funding for training, certifications, radios, mobile data systems, GIS/preplans, incident reporting, PPE and specialized equipment.
10. Community Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness
The safest emergency is the one that can be prevented or reduced before crews arrive.
Goal: Expand wildfire mitigation, Firewise programs, inspections, public education, evacuation planning, pre-incident planning, CPR/AED education, defensible-space programs and community emergency preparedness.
The Bottom Line
Rye Fire Protection District is no longer a small fire department handling an occasional emergency.
It is an all-hazards fire and EMS organization protecting a large rural district with significant highway, residential, commercial, wildland and medical-response responsibilities.
The District’s greatest need is sustainable funding that provides adequate staffing every day.
With six personnel on duty, Rye Fire could provide a substantially stronger initial response, maintain better EMS coverage, reduce dependence on distant mutual-aid resources, improve firefighter safety, and provide the Greenhorn Valley with the level of emergency service its current risk and call volume demand.
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