Telluride Fire Protection District
Media Contact
Susan Lilly, Public Information Officer (PIO)
susan@telluridefire.com or 970-729-2028
News Articles
Emil Sante celebrates 25 years
Fifty-three circles around the sun, specifically the past 25 responding to emergency calls for Telluride EMS and fire protection district, later and paramedic Emil Sante deserves nothing short of town-wide recognition for his service.
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Driver rolls SUV off narrow, one-way mountain pass near Telluride
A woman was seriously injured Sunday during a rollover on the Black Bear Pass road near Telluride, according to a report on the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. Deputies reported that the woman drove a 2021 Ford Bronco the wrong way up a one-way section of Black Bear Pass.
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Fire district adds more paid staff
The Telluride Fire Protection District (TFPD) has announced 11 new appointments, including eight new hires, to increase the depth of EMS and fire coverage. Faced with increased demands for services and the financial wherewithal to create new positions, expanding staff will, according to district chief John Bennett, benefit not only TFPD, but also the community as a whole.
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Council passes emergency ordinance banning open fires, fireworks
Once again, the Telluride community has to reimagine traditional Fourth of July festivities –– cherishing small, fire-free celebratory gatherings, observing fireworks occurring in moisture-laden regions via their computer screens and enjoying the unorthodox languor of town during this time.
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Fire Marshal Jim Boeckel retires
Fifty years is a lot of fires. From the first time Jim Boeckel rode to his first fire (inadvertently, as a boy) to last week, Boeckel has spent a lifetime defending the public against fire. Boeckel was first certified as a firefighter at the age of 16, following a family tradition. He never looked back. He made his way to Telluride in 1992 where he found the Telluride Fire Protection District (TFPD) staffed with hard-working and enthusiastic volunteers grappling with a coverage area that was booming. Telluride and Mountain Village were experiencing unprecedented growth. Boeckel’s arrival, said former firefighter Randy Sublett, was most welcome.
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Five mudslides cover, close Highway 145
As the monsoon weather continued over the weekend, so did the mudslides. Heavy rains Saturday resulted in five separate slides along Highway 145 between mile markers 77.5-80 in the Sawpit area, covering both lanes in up to two feet of debris, including large rocks that required removal via heavy equipment, and closing the roadway to two-way traffic for several hours. The most significant slide occurred at mile marker 79, according San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Susan Lilly.
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Woman seriously injured after car rolls down Black Bear Pass near Telluride
A 23-year-old woman and her dog are recovering after a vehicle rolled about 400 feet down Black Bear Pass on Sunday. In an investigation, the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office learned the woman and her passenger were headed up Bridal Veil Road in a 2021 Ford Bronco and entered the one-way Black Bear Pass headed in the wrong direction. The passenger later told authorities they did not see the sign about the one-way pass, according to the sheriff's office.
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Woman dies after Via Ferrata fall
Anissa Laverne Larson, 53, of Tucson, Arizona, died Thursday morning due to a fall while traversing the Via Ferrata, according to a news release from San Miguel County Coroner Emil Sante. San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office, Telluride Fire Protection District, and search and rescue personnel responded Thursday to a “report of a woman who had fallen a substantial distance and was apparently not moving,” according to a Sheriff’s Office social media post. When officials arrived, it was “determined the woman suffered fatal injuries.”
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Telluride Fire Protection District head earns state honor
Ask David Wadley about Telluride Fire Protection District Chief (TFPD) John Bennett and he uses words like “great character” and “integrity” in describing his peer of 18 years. “John is a firefighter’s firefighter,” said Wadley, TFPD Deputy Chief. “That means that he understands, because he’s gone through it himself, what it takes, what’s important in the fire service.”
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Red White and Blues is family fun
The Town of Mountain Village and Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association are partnering to present a weekend packed with activities and live music to celebrate Independence Day. Even though fireworks will not be taking place in Mountain Village (or Telluride) due to fire restrictions and drought concerns, the weekend will offer a host of fun activities for kids of all ages along with live music and a disco DJ dance party.
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Jim Boeckel named Colorado Fire Investigator of the Year
James Boeckel, fire marshal and fire investigator for the Telluride Fire Protection District (TFPD), was recently named Colorado Fire Investigator of the Year for 2018 by the Colorado chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators (CIAAI). The award recognized Boeckel’s overall contribution to the field of fire investigation, while also acknowledging his work on a fire that destroyed a Mountain Village home earlier this year. That fire remains under investigation.
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Officials discuss wildfire mitigation, evacuation plans
The pandemic has taken a back seat to another threat; one that could not only take lives, but homes, too. Wildfire is very much on the minds of local officials, fire and emergency personnel who are preparing for what is anticipated to be a busy fire season. And those living close to wooded or grassy areas — in San Miguel County, that’s nearly everywhere — there are ways to protect one’s home. At Wednesday’s Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting, commissioners Kris Holstrom and Hilary Cooper heard presentations from Western Region Wildfire Council (WRWC) staffers and from sheriff’s office representatives who detailed evacuation plans in the event of wildfire.
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Record wildfire season keeps local firefighters busy
In terms of acres burned, this year was the second worst wildfire season on record in Colorado, according to the Rocky Mountain Coordinator Center in Lakewood. It’s a statistic that doesn’t surprise Telluride Fire Protection District (TFPD) Chief John Bennett.
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