At a March 5 meeting, the Pagosa Fire Protection District (PFPD) Board of Directors discussed issues relating to water and foam supply at the Steven’s Field airport owned by Archuleta County.
Fire Chief Robert Bertram updated the board on the issues occurring at the airport, noting that Archuleta County conversations about the topic have been featured in The SUN.
He explained that Capt. Kelly Robertson, who serves as fire marshal and oversees fire inspections for the district, has been unsuccessfully advocating for improvements in the amount of water supply available for fire suppression at the airport hangars for about five years.
Bertram stated that, in July of 2023, two new hangars were being constructed and that new construction requires water supply in accordance with the fire code.
He added that the district cannot retroactively require older hangars to have enhanced water supply, but refused to approve issuing building permits for the new hangars until the water supply issue for those hangars is addressed.
However, Bertram explained that construction on the hangars proceeded, although the district is now refusing to approve granting certificates of occupancy (COs) for the hangars until the water supply issues are addressed.
He stated that the county is having the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) perform a water study to determine what modifications will be needed, but “we want some kind of definitive thing saying that they are going to address this water supply issue to be able to move forward because right now we do not meet the requirements to meet fire flow to fight a fire over there.”
Bertram added that a hangar in the area, which was built without the district’s knowledge, was built in front of a fire hydrant, further complicating firefighting access in the area.
He stated that, previously, the PFPD did not review plans for hangars and noted that hangars contain a variety of dangerous substances and objects, including jet fuel, planes and other vehicles.
“So, that’s where we’re holding up the CO on two of them until we can have some kind of definitive thing of what we’re going to do for this water flow,” Bertram said.
He added that the Archuleta County commissioners raised the issue that many buildings in downtown Pagosa Springs do not have sufficient water supply either during a discussion of the topic.
Bertram commented that the district cannot impose requirements on existing structures, such as those in the downtown area.
“All we can do is prepare for the future, and we have those requirements,” he said.
PFPD board member James Martin asked if the district has had any interactions with the new fixed-base operator (FBO) for the airport.
Bertram stated that he did not believe the district has had any interactions with the new FBO so far.
“We looked at the fact that our services are undervalued ... — and that’s a nice way to put it — and that needs to change, so somebody’s going to have to address it,” Martin said.
Bertram commented that the issues with the water supply have primarily been discussed with the county and that the county is trying to determine who is responsible for paying for the infrastructure improvements that will be necessary to improve water flow.
He added that, in most development projects, the builder of a new project would be responsible for paying for the infrastructure improvements.
Bertram stated that the county building official is currently supporting the PFPD by refusing to issue COs for the hangars until the water supply is improved.
Martin commented that the issue of how to provide water supply ultimately rests with the county and PAWSD, and that determining how to do this would not be difficult, but could involve confronting “squeaky wheels.”
“It’s not our responsibility to figure out how they’re gonna accomplish this,” Bertram said.
Martin expressed surprise that more review was not done before the hangars were permitted.
“We’ve had a lot of stuff that’s happened over the years,” Bertram commented, adding that the district is improving its review procedures and doing cleanup work for previous issues.
The group also discussed the supply of firefighting foam at the airport, with Deputy Fire Chief Karn Macht explaining that the district is working on obtaining foam to fight fires at the airport.
In an interview, Bertram explained that the foam the district previously used for such fires was recently banned due to research indicating that it causes increased risks of cancer in people exposed to it.
He added that this ban disrupted the supply of foam products for fighting fuel fires due to most producers manufacturing the now-banned foam products.
At the meeting, Macht stated that the district is moving forward with acquiring a new foam product, and Martin emphasized the importance of such foam to fighting fuel fires, which are not suppressed by water.
Martin also noted that the current fees collected for fighting fires at the airport do not cover the expenses of products like foam that are primarily useful for airport fires and questioned what mechanisms the district has to force an increase in the fees paid by the county for airport fire service.
Bertram commented that many airports do not pay additional monies for fire service because they fall within a fire protection district, but that Steven’s Field is a “unique situation” due to it being owned by the county.
He also explained that the cost of foam can be significant.
PFPD board member Wayne Hooper commented that the PFPD should not, in his view, be paying for these foam products.
He added that the board has previously discussed the issue of the costs of fighting fires at the airport compared to the $1,200 the district receives annually for providing this service.
Bertram commented that the situation would be easier if the county would sell the airport, thus allowing the district to collect taxes on it from a private owner.
Martin stated the FBO is likely also concerned about safety and might be willing to assist the district in supporting the expenses of fire suppression for the airport.
Bertram commented that, if the airport was private, the property taxes collected by the district would total “at least $4,000 a year.”
Martin added that the district needs to keep moving forward with securing foam for airport fires and reiterated his concerns about PFPD personnel having to fight fuel fires with insufficient resources.
“We’ve been really lucky,” he said. “We haven’t had anything to speak of in the time I’ve lived here, but it only takes one to hurt somebody.”
He added that it would be “worth opening discussion” with the FBO owner, as he understood that the owner is “pretty easy to work with” and is investing a large amount of money into the community currently.
“Definitely,” Bertram concluded.
josh@pagosasun.com
