(The Center Square) – Colorado fire departments need to spend over $25 million and hire thousands of more firefighters to address shortages.
This is according to a new report from the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, which surveyed departments throughout the state.
“While the needs of fire departments vary across the state, many face similar challenges, and the DFPC works hard to support these evolving needs,” said Lisa Pine, DFPC professional qualifications section chief.
Of the state’s 340 eligible departments, 57% or 194 responded to the survey. Conducted at the end of 2024, the Fire Service Needs Assessment helps provide the state with a detailed overview of the current resource capacity and training requirements of its departments.
“We will use the information to help develop strategies to address the needs of Colorado’s Fire Service,” said DFPC Director Mike Morgan. “This is an effort that will take more than DFPC. It will take the creativity, the skills and the efforts of everyone engaged in or served by the Colorado Fire Service.”
The survey found that the responding fire departments will need an additional 1,121 career and 1,142 volunteer firefighters over the next two years.
Additionally, those departments reported needing 753 new and replacement apparatuses over the next two years, with total equipment needs totaling over $25,282,489.
That funding is lacking, though, with 82% of fire departments indicating they do not have adequate funding to address their top three needs. In order, those needs are personnel, apparatus, training, facilities and equipment.
Republicans in the state have labeled these findings a crisis, pointing the blame at Democrats.
“Colorado’s fire departments are in crisis,” said the Colorado Republicans Party in a statement on social media. “Yet, CO Dems keep ignoring the funding shortfall, letting our rural heroes rely on pancake breakfasts to scrape by. No fiscal discipline, just empty promises while our communities beg for help.”
This comes as the state has faced a number of record-breaking fires throughout the summer.
A March report from Colorado State University suggested the need for well-funded and well-staffed departments will only grow in the coming years, finding that wildfires in the state are getting bigger and more frequent.
“Wildfire activity in Colorado has intensified over the past three decades, with larger and more frequent fires reshaping the state’s landscapes,” the report stated. “While many fires remain small, a growing number of extreme events account for the vast majority of burned area and drive the most severe impacts.”
