• Established in 1983 
• Named after a traveling schoolhouse
• Cover 66 square miles in North West Elbert County
• Respond to approximately 400 calls per year
• 5 Fire Stations, Training Center / Administration Building, and a Fleet Services Building
• Combination Department
• Paid staff 24/7 365 at Administration Building / Station 251
  • Chief, Paramedic, two Firefighters
• Supplemented with volunteer’s staffing other stations
• Fleet Services on shift Monday to Thursday 7 am to 5 pm at the Fleet Services Building / Station 255
• ISO 4 (hydrants) / 5 (no hydrants)
• State Recognized EMS Education Group
• In house training that will take you from zero experience to a State Certified Firefighter and Nationally recognized EMT

Since 1966 Fire and EMS calls in Northwest Elbert County were handled by the Parker Fire Protection District. But in the early 80’s the residents of PFD started to complain about their fire department handling around 80 fire and eMS calls a year in northwest elbert county. The elbert county residents did not pay any taxes toward the parker fire district. On February 23, 1982 the parker fire board of trustees voted to discontinue fire and medical services to the residents of elbert county starting march 15, 1982. The residents of the area explored their options for fire protection including:

• Forming their own district
• Joining either the Parker Fire District or Elizabeth Fire District
• Forming their own district and contracting with a nearby fire district for "secondary responder" fire protection. 

All the alternatives to forming their own district had drawbacks. To join parker fire the area needed to have a contiguous boundary and it didn't, at the time the area West of Delbert was no man's land. Most of the property owners back then were absentee landowners, which would be a problem because 2/3's of the landowners had to sign the petition. While deciding what to do about fire protection for the area three fires occurred. Both Parker and Elizabeth Fire responded to these fires. To form their own district, the estimated taxes from the residents would be approximately $14,000 a year. Not near enough to finance a fire department. During this period of no fire protection there were three fires that occurred. Both Parker and Elizabeth Fire responded to the fires. Finally after exploring many options they decided to form the Rattlesnake Fire Protection District. They got approval from the Elbert County Commissioners and the newly formed district levied an 8 mill tax to property owners. That brought in about $24,000 annually. The cost to build and equip a volunteer fire department was around $90,000. A loan from Kiowa State Bank was secured for $100,000. In addition a benefit auction was held and $30,000 donations came in to help purchase equipment. The first Fire Truck was purchased for $8,500 in November of 1982. By spring of 1983 construction had begun on station 251. While The station was being built, trainings were held in volunteers homes. Trainings included basic first aid, CPR, use of fire extinguishers, and basic firefighter training. 

In the fall of 1985 the District started looking for sites to build a fire station in Sun Country Meadows. A four bay building was constructed that at the time appeared in the middle of nowhere. On April 15th 1989 Station 52 was officially open. There is a time capsule still sitting at the front of the station, no  one here knows what is inside! During the Early years the department was running 70 to 80 calls a year including EMS calls, wildland fires, motor vehicle accidents and hazmat incidents... Looks like the only thing that changed today is the number of calls! Some notable calls were an oil tanker that rolled over at Delbert and County Road 186 spilling over 1000 gallons of crude oil. The oil  flowed from the truck into the dry gully. Firefighters from Rattlesnake Fire and Parker Fire responded and used shovels to build dams and contain the flow. A suction truck was brought in by the oil company and collected the pools of oil. The EPA also made a visit!

During the early years Rattlesnake Fire started from the ground up. We had very humble beginnings. The yearly volunteers had a monumental job of starting a Fire Department without a station or equipment. We will never know how many volunteer hours went into fundraising, site planning, building, purchasing equipment and training! We do sincerely thank them for giving us the foundation to become the Department we are today. 

In 1995 petitions were accepted from North Central to be included in RFPD's district. There were 25 firefighters on the roster, five of witch were EMT's and growth was happening. It was discovered that the roads in Amanda Pines were not being built to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards and the County changes its rules to require all future roads be built to NFPA standards. In June by vote of the people the inclusion of North Central into RFPD failed 98-70. Several conditional firefighters attended Firefighter 1 academy at Cunningham Fire and Jim White a new resident of Mt View Ranches, a specialist in matters pertaining to communication has agreed to volunteer with RFPD! In September plan reviews started for the Spring Valley golf course. October of 1995 the largest hay barn fire in Rattlesnake history occurred taking almost 100,000 gallons of water and ten agencies to extinguish! 

1996 started with the completion of the basement at Station 51. This new renovation created two supply closets, training area and gear room.  There were now 37 volunteers! Rattlesnake fire started making and selling address markers for 12 a piece. We still sell them today but the cost has risen to $35. Ten firefighters started academy hosted by Bennett Fire. The first RFPD web page was created in June. Chief Jerry Rhodes (Cunningham Fire) started officer training for Rattlesnake. 

While several things happened in 1997, none of them could compare to the Ghost Bridge tragedy. Third bridge also known as Ghost Bridge is a popular ghost hunting place not too far from the metro area. It is frequently visited still by people of all ages looking for ghosts. In June of 1997 two cars loaded up with fifteen kids ages 11-17 decided to head out down county road 194 for a night of fun and fright. It was almost 11 p.m. as the two cars sped down the 25 mph dirt road at 70 mph in search of the bridge. As the first vehicle crested the very large hill that lies to the west of the bridge, the driver, age 16, lost control of the Toyota Corolla, veering off to the left side of the bridge and skidding nearly 80 ft before hitting the guardrail. The car then slid down 47 feet of the guardrail, which impaled the car through the windshield, before falling 15 feet into the dry creek bed below, landing on the driver side of the vehicle. The guard rail entered the vehicle through the front grill and continued through the trunk, a 14 year old died on impact. The second vehicle in an attempt to avoid the first vehicle flew off of the road and into the trees. Rattlesnake Fire, Bennett Fire, Strasburg Fire, 2 AMR ambulances and 6 trips by multiple helicopters were required to stabilize the scene. The next day a 12 year old succumbed to her injuries and the driver of the first vehicle was paralyzed. Why tell of this horrific tragedy, we are all human and we are were all young and invincible at one point in life. Events like this change the lives of everyone involved and are preventable. The best way to honor those that were lost that night and those who survived is to talk to your children about the importance of seatbelts and safe driving practices. 

1999 had several changes for Rattlesnake. Station 53 was built on a homeowners land with a ten year lease. The deal was we put up the building and could store apparatus inside it for ten years. At the end of the lease we would move out and the homeowner would be able to keep the building. Unfortunately the building was not zoned properly and the County initially imposed a $13,500 fine ($100.00 a day it was open without the correct zoning). The county did end up forgiving the fine and Station 3 was allowed to remain open. The year before voters approved a temporary mill levy increase to pay for the purchase of three new pumper tenders! These engines utilized a new state of the art poly body design that was lightweight and strong! The new trucks were built specifically for Rattlesnake Fire and are the only three like it in the world! Their design was implemented around reducing the districts ISO rating in a rural environment. Most fire engines in the city have around 500 gallons of water, these had 2400 gallons of water plus a 40 gallon class A foam tank! They have the ability to pump and roll meaning they can put out water while driving! These new engines were a key factor in decreasing our ISO to a 5. The trucks did come in three variants (trim colors) and were known as the Red, Blue, and Green Rattlers. These engines were not cheap at almost $1,000,000 for the three of them. There were a great investment saving homeowners thousands on their property insurance and 25 years later all three are still in service as front line fire engines!   

To start 2006 Dale Goetz was the fire Chief and Jeff Buckley was the Assistant Chief. Bryan Bowen was Captain and Cass Kilduff was the Lieutenant out of Station 2. In the fall of 2006 while battling Cancer (most likely acquired by being a Firefighter) Chief Goetz made the hard decision to resign. Jeff Buckley was promoted to Chief, Bryan Bowen became the Assistant Chief and Cass Kilduff became the Captain of Operations. Shortly after Chief Goetz passed away on December 20th. 

The new Station 253 was completed and opened in 2007 giving Rattlesnake a properly zoned permanent station covering the South West corner of our district. In the fall Chief Buckley resigned to spend more time with his family and at his favorite get away near grand lake. Bryan Bowen was appointed Fire Chief and Cass Kilduff became the Assistant Chief. 2008 brought in three new apparatus. A new command truck, ambulance, and light rescue. Lead Standard was promoted to Captain of Operations. The district continued to plan for the growth we knew was coming.  

2009 was a big year for Rattlesnake. The new Training Center / Administration building was completed next door to Station 51. The building was designed to have two bays for the most frequent responding apparatus and two bedrooms for future use when paid firefighters would be needed... Shortly after opening a 911 call came in for a woman in labor. Rattlesnake fire was completely volunteer at the time and we did not have any volunteers in district. The Elbert County Sheriff's office sent two deputies and Elizabeth Fire sent an ambulance. The deputies were first on scene and gave mouth to mouth to the newborn infant. Elizabeth fire arrived shortly after to a fully resuscitated baby happy and warm.  Luckily the deputies were close and had great training and the baby is perfectly healthy however our board said that in 2009 it is unacceptable to have no firefighters available to respond to a call. This led to the hiring of a Paramedic and Firefighter to work Monday through Thursday from 7-5 while most of our volunteers were at their paid jobs. Fridays were covered by part time firefighters and evenings and weekends were still 100% volunteer. 

Like most departments around the country volunteers started declining in numbers from in district members of the community. For whatever the reason a cultural shift in our country started taking place where people did not volunteer as much, but the expectation of having a Fire Department show up in an emergency never lightens. Having the training center did more than just house the daytime staff, it gave us the tools needed to start an Out of District (OOD) program. We were able to attract younger volunteers that wanted to make Firefighting a career but had no clue how to get their foot in the door. At the time it was very common for paid departments have 2,500 applicants for a handful of positions. Volunteering gave candidates the ability to get certifications and experience in the fire service and a leg up on the other applicants. Our first OOD member Mike Skalisky is still a volunteer with us today (2024)! While we have seen several OOD members come here with zero experience, go to academy, grow and move on to "big city" departments around the country what we have gotten in return from them is very difficult to put into words. These firefighters put in hundreds of hours a year to give back to a community that they do not live in. Yes they gain knowledge and certifications but they also gain a family. The vast majority of firefighters who move on stay in touch and several still volunteer.  They have given Rattlesnake a great name in the fire industry and represent us well. 

Each year the department continued to grow and respond to incidents of all hazards. Some of the big incidents included:

• 2010 County Road 174 fire
  • Around 2120 hours Elbert County Communications alerted Elizabeth and Rattlesnake Firefighters to a reported building fire at Country Road 13 and County Road 174. While enroute, companies reported flames in the sky from several miles out, prompting additional mutual aid from South Metro to be ordered. Upon arrival crews found a 2.5 story, mixed use barn with heavy fire conditions. A defensive attack was mounted and water tender shuttle established. Several handlines and at one point an aerial tower ladder were placed into operation. The fire attack continued for hours, well into the early morning. No injuries were reported and investigators were called to the scene.
• 2011 Burning Tree Fire
  • 03/24 ~ At 1253 Douglas County Dispatch alerted Franktown Engine & Brush 184 to a smoke investigation in the area southeast of State Highway 83 & Bayou Gulch Road. Chief and Brush 181 also responded to the area and reported smoke in the air. At the same Time a passerby reported an active wildland fire with structures threatened near Bayou Gulch and Ponderosa. Chief 181 arrived first, assumed the command and reported a 4 acre fire north of The Burning Tree Subdivision with nothing threatened. A 2nd Alarm was transmitted, then a 3rd Alarm quickly after with smoke now pushing into the Pinery Subdivision. At 1319 the fire was estimated at 20-30 acres with nothing threatened. By 1332 a 5th Alarm was transmitted and the command post was moved to Ponderosa High School. At 1335 Division Chief 151 requested a chopper, SEAT, command post relocation to Sagewood Middle School and advised the fire was moving toward the Pinery and prepare for evacuations north of Bayou Gulch Road. At 1341 command ordered the evacuation of everything east of Highway 83 to Elbert County and from Bayou Gulch Road north to include all of the Pinery. As the afternoon progressed 2 Type 1 Strike Teams, 1 Type 6 Strike Team and a taskforce from the North Group responded. Air support included a lead plane, 2 SEAT’s and 2 choppers. After a drastic wind shift the evacuation order north of Bayou Gulch was lifted and realigned to South of Bayou Gulch to Highway 86 from Highway 83 to Flintwood Road. Air support worked until sunset when fire conditions laid down. The incident was scaled back overnight with two divisions and one structure group working. Crews remained on scene for roughly 72 hours working the interior hot spots. One home sustained minor roof damage and no injuries were reported. 
• 2011 Lloyd Standard was promoted to Division Chief Standard and Aaron Craigie was promoted to Captain.
• 2012 102 Fire
  • 06/24 ~ Around 11:45 Elbert Fire District was dispatched to a non-threatening brush fire on County Road 102 west of Elbert Road.  First arriving units sized up a two acre fire in the trees, rapidly spreading.  100 degree temps, a Red Flag Warning and strong winds, the fire made a crown run east toward the Town of Elbert.  The incident was upgraded to a threatening brush fire, bringing mutual aid from several departments responded to the scene.  The entire Town of Elbert and homes on CR 98 were evacuated.  Divisions were established and 3 radio talkgroups were used.  The fire grew to 600 acres with no structures damaged.  Two firefighters were treated for medical issues and a third sustained a minor injury. 
• 2013 a new command truck and brush truck were added to the fleet. Station 255 was built in conjunction with Elizabeth Fire and the training center basement was finished to allow two more firefighters to have sleeping quarters and a TV room. 
  • Black forest fire. 06/11 ~ During the early afternoon El Paso County Firefighters responded to the area of Shoup Road & Black Forest Road for a vegetation fire.  With record high temperatures, low humidity and very gusty winds, the flames quickly became too much to contain.  Numerous structures became involved and a mandatory evacuation order went out to thousands of people.  Mutual aid resources were requested from across the state as well as regional aircraft.  The fire remained active through the night with structure protection taking place.  By the end of the first day an estimated 60 homes and an unknown number of outbuildings had been destroyed.  Colorado USAR Taskforce 1 was in preparation to respond and search through the burn area for potential victims.
• 2014 Command 254 came in service and RFPD's first fully in house EMT class was completed. An Engineer training program was revamped to include several hours of training, a hands on skills test, and a task book that has to be completed to earn the title Engineer. The Fire and EMS training divisions continue to build and prosper.