Twenty-five property owners and Glacier View Fire Department staff members met April 1 at the Glacier View fire house to discuss a mill-levy increase election scheduled for May 6.
The proposed tax increase is intended to cover the cost of maintaining equipment and expanding services to properties in the Glacier View Fire Protection District plus an additional 42 properties that have been proposed be added to the district. These properties include Whispering Pines, Lady Moon Ranch, Sundance Ranch and Magic Sky.
The April 1 meeting followed a March 29 training exercise that included members of the Glacier View fire crew, the Livermore fire crew, Larimer County Search and Rescue, Larimer County Emergency Services and the Poudre Valley Special Operations Response Team. The exercise was a simulation of a small-plane crash and was organized and staged by Glacier View chief Greg Niswender.
Participants were trained in a number of scenarios including an ice rescue, the rescue of a victim from a tree, a simulated rescue of a victim from inside a plane and the safe transportation of the injured parties over rugged terrain.
The organizations were able to test transportation and communication equipment and to practice working as a team. About 50 people participated and all of the organizations brought their own equipment.
The Glacier View fire department is one of the strongest departments in the area and, due to a number of grants and a loan, it has been able to expand its inventory of equipment and services. The mill levy hike would ensure that there would be more of these training exercises.
Additional funds also would provide for the maintenance of new and older equipment, repayment of the loan and provide a stipend to volunteers as an incentive to remain on the team.
The vote takes place on May 6 at the Glacier View fire house, 1414 Green Mountain Drive at Glacier View Gate #8. Glacier View residents will vote on the mill-levy increase, the 2014 Board of Directors, the Board of Director’s term limits and a number of inclusions to the Glacier View district.
There will be another informational meeting on April 19 at 7 p.m. at the Glacier View fire house that is open to residents of the Glacier View district.
Additional information can be viewed at www.glacierviewfiredept.com