The Fremont County Commissioners voted Tuesday to issue an invitation to the EMS and Trauma Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to perform a consultative evaluation of ambulance and emergency medical services in Fremont County. The formal invitation is a follow up to a June 28th meeting at the Cañon City Main Fire Station at which Sean Caffrey, the state’s EMS System Development Coordinator explained the purpose of the program. The service is offered by the state at no charge to counties to thoroughly evaluate every agency and ambulance company that provides emergency medical response. A team made up of other EMS professionals from across Colorado would visit the county for three or four days and then issue a written report that summarizes strengths and weaknesses of the system and makes recommendations.
Commissioner Mike Stiehl said while he supports the evaluation he hopes the report would not lead to any kind of penalties to anyone in the county for not meeting particular standards. Commission Chairman Ed Norden said the same concerns were raised at the June 28th meeting where Caffrey assured those attending that it will be totally up to the individual agencies and the county as to how they react and respond to findings in the final report. The Fremont County EMS Council has also endorsed the EMS consultative evaluation. The Board of Commissioners will now await a formal reply from the state for possible scheduling of a visit in late August or early September.
The commissioners on Tuesday also approved a new professional services agreement for the Fremont County Airport with Armstrong Consultants of Grand Junction. Armstrong has served as the airport consultant for a number of years but their most recent contract had expired. The focus of Armstrong’s work in the next twelve months will be to complete an update of the Fremont County Airport Master Plan. The airport receives $150,000 a year from the Federal Aviation Administration for airport improvements. That money for 2011 has been earmarked for work on the Master Plan. Armstrong will now submit a scope of work as the next step in the process.
In other business before the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday they:
- Reappointed Dan Brixey of Cañon City and newly appointed Larry Brown of Penrose to three year terms on the Fremont County Building Code Board of Appeals;
- Authorized the chairman to sign an application for the annual Emergency Management Performance Grant which funds are used to help finance the Fremont County Emergency Management Office;
- Approved a temporary use permit for the Happy Apple Farm Fall Harvest at Ferrara’s orchard and farm at 1st and ‘K’ Streets in Penrose from August 6th through October 31st;
- Approved a temporary use permit for a free family fun day at Hoof Beats arena along Highway 50 just west of Coaldale on Saturday, July 23rd. They expect anywhere from 50 to 300 people to attend the equestrian event;
- Approved the transfer and name change of a special review use permit from Children of the Son to Eden West Ranch for a child care center and recreational facility on property south of Texas Creek along Highway 69 about a half mile south of County Road #28. New owner Neil Hartman said he plans to return to amend the permit in the future so he can operate the recreational facility for adult uses.