Community News, Activities and Events

GHAVFD PANCAKE BREAKFAST – Saturday, July 19th
The pancake breakfast is an annual event held every summer to benefit the GHAVFD fire fighters. It's a great way to get a tasty pancake breakfast and get to know your local volunteer EMS and Firefighters.

This year the breakfast will be on Saturday July 19th from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Fire House #1 in Glen Haven. The cost is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for kids. There will also be a raffle with great prizes! Food is donated by The Egg & I in Estes Park.

You're donations keep us going! See you there!

FIREFEST 2008
Smokin' Ducks – Ready, set, QUACK!
Saturday August 9, 2008, during Firefest 500 little rubber ducks, clad in firefighting gear, will race through the chilly waters of the north fork of the Big Thompson River to a flamin’ finish at the Drake Campground. First place duck will win $1500 in cash, places 2-5 will win prizes between $150-$800 in value, and the next 45 little smoke eaters will win their ticket holder a prize worth at least $50.

The math is easy-- EVERY DUCK HAS a 1 in 10 CHANCE at a prize!!

Chances on a duck are $12 each and can be purchased from any firefighter or from Georgia. Call her at (970) 962-9740 or send email to geomountain@q.com

THE BOBCAT FIRE
Was it really 8 years ago this month? Hard to believe so much time has passed and I still find tears in my eyes when I see the devastation left behind.

We have a fantastic volunteer fire department, but what would have happened that day, June 12, 2000, if our Storm Mountain Community had the proper fire equipment and training to help fight a forest fire? Well, I’m no expert, but I was there from the first smoke sighting and I will be the first to say, the Bobcat fire would not have burned out of control. I’ll explain why.

That morning I stepped out onto the porch. Instantly I smelled smoke. The air looked eerie with wispy looking streaks of smoke. Yes, there was no doubt it was a fire. My eyes started stinging as I ran back into the house, grabbed the phone and dialed 911. The voice on the other end said, “Do you know the exact location of the fire?” I realized I didn’t know. Carl, my husband, was already in the car with the cell phone and I grabbed the binoculars. We drove to where it looked like it was coming from. Carl has hunted these mountains since the early 1980’s and his calculations proved to be right. It was very close. We called 911 again and gave the location as best we could; it’s in the Bobcat Draw.

We went home, called the only neighbor we could think to call. He said he’d meet us on his 4-wheeler at the Bobcat entrance (of course, no 4-wheelers are allowed). I was devastated at the thought.. what could 3 people do? There was no communication network, no way to reach anyone else; most people were in town working. We couldn’t think of anyone to call for immediate help. We knew it would take time for the fire department from Loveland to arrive on the scene and our volunteer fire department had limited equipment.

So, what did we take with us? Shovels and picks, the 3 of us – all we could think of is, this is our mountain – we have to do SOMETHING! That was our only course of action, to drive illegally back to where we thought the fire was, and then what? We had no idea. We had seen things on TV about creating a ring around a fire to stop the path, but that’s all we knew. No water. No protective clothing. No chain saws. No real fire fighting equipment, nothing.

When we reached the fire, it was only about ¾ of an acre, very manageable with the right equipment and enough help, but all we could do was to take our meager shovels and picks and start pulling the debris back from the fire. Extremely hard work, but yet we pushed ourselves to the point of near total exhaustion. With more help, more equipment, training...the Bobcat fire never would have been a forest fire – never.

I’ll never forget how tired and thirsty we were, with soot-stained clothes, the heat on our skin, the helpless feeling that we weren’t doing enough, and the angry emotions I went through.

Evacuation! Everyone was forced to leave. Carl & I stayed to provide hand-drawn maps of our community road system with no street signs. It was no wonder the fire fighting crews were lost! We loaned the firemen our 4-wheelers, even shovels when needed. We stayed for the entire duration. From the first moment to the last, we were in a panic state, like being involved in a car accident for 5 days!

When I was asked to write my memories of the fire, I didn’t know it would be this hard, stirring up all the memories, but if the sole purpose of this writing is to make others aware of the dire need of training, equipment, communication, a phone tree, emergency traffic assistance, donations, then it is well worth it.

Don’t ever think that because we had one fire, there won’t be another. It could happen any time, anywhere. That’s how SMERT (Storm Mountain Emergency Response Team) was born. A community that cares! Volunteers came forward, giving their time and money for the safety of our families and neighbors. Since the Bobcat fire, we have had other fires located and extinguished due to the system we have with SMERT, and not only fires….lives have been saved. Time is of the essence with any emergency. Our choice is to live in this beautiful, yet remote area. Your help is needed and don’t think, “Oh I’m only one person, what can I do?” If everyone were to say that, we wouldn’t have SMERT. We need you! Every person is important. Every dollar you contribute is important. Donations are a top priority. Without the money to operate, we wouldn’t have any equipment at all! Believe me, you wouldn’t want to be faced with an emergency with the helpless feeling we had. Yes, we did all we could with what we had to work with, but we could have done so much better, and we know that now. I wouldn’t want anyone to have to go through what we went through, not only during the fire, but also afterward…..the depression, guilt, sadness & anger. Please don’t let another day go by…..contact SMERT today!
Kathy Miller

Jury Duty Scam (follow this link)
We're Living in Coyote Country(follow this link)
Don't Let Your Dog Chase Wildlife (follow this link)

Report any suspicious activity to the Larimer County Sheriff immediately. To report a crime and/or summon non-emergency assistance, call (970) 416-1985.

The Big Thompson Canyon Volunteer Fire Dept. needs volunteer firefighters!!!

Extensive Fire Training

Comprehensive Annual Physical Exam

Extensive Medical Training

Pension at 10 and 20 Years

IRS Benefits

Unsurpassed Brotherhood

Leave message with Bill Lundquist at 970-663-4018 or 970-356-4092
Click here for an application in PDF format.

Mailing Address
S.M.E.R.T.
PO Box 73
Drake, CO 80515
Phone: (970) 593-1091

Links to this website that appear on other sites do not necessarily mean we endorse nor approve of the other site.

For feedback regarding this site, contact Webmaster at stormmtert@yahoo.com