South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) is a fire protection district which provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the municipalities of Bow Mar, Castle Pines, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Columbine Valley, Foxfield, Greenwood Village, Littleton, Lone Tree, Parker, portions of Aurora and unincorporated portions of Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties in Colorado. The area South Metro serves is in size with a population of more than 540,000.
South Metro Fire Rescue is an internationally accredited agency with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) and holds an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification Class 1 rating. The district operates teams specializing in aircraft rescue and firefighting, bike medics, dive rescue, hazardous materials, incident management team, SWAT medic, technical rescue, urban search and rescue, and wildland firefighting.
The district is a product of decades of consolidation between area fire departments since the 1980s including Castle Pines Fire Department, Castlewood Fire Protection District, Cherry Hills Fire Protection District, Cunningham Fire Protection District, Littleton Fire Rescue, Louviers Fire Protection District, North Douglas County Fire Protection District, and Parker Fire Protection District.
History The origins of the South Metro Fire Rescue name comes from Castlewood Fire Protection District which had petitioned to change its name to South Metro Fire Rescue on December 31, 1998. Prior to South Metro Fire Rescue, Castlewood Fire Protection District began the trend of consolidating with neighboring departments with Castle Pines Fire Department and North Douglas County Fire Protection District in 1986, and Cherry Hills Fire Protection District in 1989.
In 1999, Robert Rinne assumed the fire chief position, and Louviers Fire Protection District agreed to merge with South Metro Fire Rescue effective January 1, 2000.
On January 19, 2006, South Metro Fire Rescue established the Metropolitan Area Communications Center (MetCom) to provide dispatching service for the district. In March 2006, the district achieved international accreditation from the CFAI, a distinction held by only three other agencies in the state at the time.
In April 2007, a report was provided to the district by Emergency Services Consulting Inc. noting a consistent lack of trust between personnel and the fire chief's office and suggested a change in leadership. An example cited by the report included questioning financial decisions made in purchasing four firetrucks whereas the apparatus committee suggested only purchasing one. By June, four members of South Metro Fire Rescue's leadership, including Chief Robert Rinne, had stepped down and Fire Marshall Mike Dell'Orfano assumed the position of acting chief. In October 2007, Parker Fire Protection District Chief Dan Qualman assumed the role of interim chief of South Metro Fire Rescue as a study began on consolidating operations with Parker Fire Protection District. The study was completed in March 2008 and found that a consolidation of departments would result in tax savings and better services. The two districts voted to consolidate on April 24, 2008 and began working together on May 1, 2008 as a single authority governed by the two boards of directors, the largest merger between two entities in Colorado at the time. On January 5, 2016, Parker Fire Protection District and South Metro Fire Rescue merged into a single district.
In January 2015, Chief Dan Qualman retired and Bob Baker assumed the position of fire chief for the district.
In November 2017, South Metro Fire Rescue and Cunningham Fire Protection District agreed to form a new joint fire authority to join the two districts together effective January 1, 2018. On January 1, 2019, South Metro's authority was expanded to include areas of the Highlands Ranch Metropolitan District, Littleton Fire Protection District, and City of Littleton that were previously covered by Littleton Fire Rescue, a department with history that dates back to 1890. As a result of the expansion, South Metro became the second largest fire district in Colorado. The authority was dissolved in May 2020 after redistricting of the board of directors and subsequent election allowed for voter representation from the newly added areas.
On January 1, 2018, South Metro received an ISO Class 1 rating after previously holding a Class 3 rating, and is notable for being the first agency in the United States to achieve a Class 1 rating in areas without a fire hydrant that would require water tenders to respond.
Stations and apparatus Fire station numberLocation Engine companyLadder company or tower companyMedic unitCommand unitBrush unitTender unitSpecial unitBattalion112255 W Berry Ave, LittletonEngine 11Medic 112126529 S Broadway, LittletonLadder 12Medic 12Battalion Chief 2 Rehab 122136290 W Coal Mine Ave, ColumbineEngine 13Medic 132146600 S Colorado Blvd, CentennialEngine 14Medic 143152702 E Dry Creek Rd, CentennialEngine 15Medic 152168119 Blakeland Dr, Douglas CountyEngine 16Medic 16Battalion Chief 1Brush Engine 161179554 S University Blvd, Highlands RanchEngine 17Medic 17Brush 17Hazmat 17218401 Timbervale Trail, Highlands RanchTower 18Medic 18Safety 11198490 Trailmark Pkwy, LittletonEngine 19Dive 191201801 E Wildcat Reserve Pkwy, Highlands RanchEngine 20Brush Engine 20Wildland Utility 202212250 S Emporia St, Arapahoe CountyEngine 21Brush 2152216758 E Smoky Hill Rd, CentennialEngine 22Battalion Chief 5Brush 22Fan 225235405 S Riviera Way, CentennialEngine 23Medic 235315901 S Havana St, Greenwood VillageEngine 31Medic 31 Dive 315325945 S Quebec St, CentennialTower 32Medic 32Battalion Chief 3 MED 23337281 E Dry Creek Rd, CentennialEngine 33Medic 33Brush 333348871 Maximus Dr, Lone TreeLadder 34Medic 34Tender 34Rescue 3433512080 E Briarwood Ave, Dove ValleyTower 35536421 E Castle Pines Pkwy, Castle PinesEngine 36Medic 36Brush 361375701 S University Blvd, Greenwood Village3382460 E Quincy Ave, Cherry Hills VillageEngine 38Hazmat 38339475 W Happy Canyon Rd, Castle Pines VillageEngine 39Brush Engine 39Tender 39Wildland Utility 3914010297 N Chatfield Dr, Douglas CountyEngine 40Brush Engine 40Tender 4014110795 S Pine Dr, ParkerEngine 41Medic 41Battalion Chief 4Brush Engine 41Tender 41Wildland Utility 414427320 S Parker Rd, FoxfieldEngine 42Medic 42Brush 425438165 N Pinery Pkwy, The PineryEngine 43Brush 4344412625 E Lincoln Ave, MeridianEngine 44Medic 44Safety 2Red 244516801 Northgate Dr, StonegateTower 45Tender 45Collapse 4544619310 Stroh Rd, ParkerEngine 46Medic 46Brush 46Tender 4644711685 Tomahawk Rd, Douglas CountyEngine 47Brush 474HQ9195 E Mineral Ave, Centennial 211
Notable incidents On May 7, 2019, the 2019 STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting occurred, resulting in one death and eight injuries. The initial response by South Metro Fire Rescue was upgraded to a mass casualty incident (MCI) based on information received, and included mutual aid from neighboring agencies and departments, with three medical helicopters attending. The agency notes that over 150 support personnel, ambulances, and fire apparatus responded to the incident.
References
External links Official website IAFF website