How Fire Protection Is Organized Across Colorado

Colorado has no single statewide fire department. Protection comes from city departments, independent fire protection districts, joint authorities, volunteer companies and a handful of state and federal wildland agencies. Our directory lists 1,117 stations across 332 cities and 64 counties, from the Lakeside Fire Department on Sheridan Boulevard in Denver to the Loghill Mesa Volunteer Fire Department outside Montrose. Which agency answers at your address depends on a boundary map, not on the city name in your mailing address.

Four kinds of providers show up in the listings:

At the state level, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC), part of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, supports local agencies instead of replacing them. It administers firefighter certification, inspects public schools and junior colleges for fire safety, and manages state wildfire resources when a fire outgrows local capacity. It does not send an engine to your kitchen fire. For a structure fire, medical call or crash, you dial 911 and the local dispatch center sends whichever agency owns that boundary.

Codes are local too. Colorado does not apply one fire code to every home, so cities and districts adopt their own versions of the International Fire Code. They set their own inspection schedules, plan-review rules and permit fees. Always ask the department that covers your property.

Front Range Departments: Career Crews in Denver, Aurora, Boulder and Colorado Springs

Along the Front Range, most stations are staffed around the clock by career firefighters. Denver and Colorado Springs have the largest number of listings, followed by Boulder, Golden, Aurora and Littleton. Aurora Fire Department Station 10 sits at 3951 South Reservoir Road. Because Aurora stretches across Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties, one city can show up under several county pages. Search by station address if a county search comes up empty.

Jefferson County shows how mixed the metro area is. Its listings include Westminster Fire Department Station 3 on West 90th Avenue, Arvada Fire Protection District Station 1 on West 57th Avenue, Littleton Fire Rescue Station 13 on West Coal Mine Avenue and Fairmount Fire Protection District Station 2 in Golden. Farther west, Evergreen Fire and Rescue Station 1 covers foothill terrain where narrow canyon roads and wildfire risk change how crews operate. Arvada and Fairmount are districts, while Westminster is a city department. Both answer 911 calls the same way.

In El Paso County, the Broadmoor Fire Protection District at 750 El Pomar Road serves the southwest edge of Colorado Springs, right against the mountains. The county lived through the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire and the 2013 Black Forest Fire, and wildfire planning still shapes local fire work. In Boulder County, the City of Boulder Fire Department at 1805 33rd Street is the anchor agency. The Marshall Fire of December 30, 2021 destroyed more than 1,000 homes in and around Superior and Louisville. It moved fire-safety rules and evacuation planning to the top of local agendas.

One practical difference is ambulance service. In many metro departments, firefighters are also paramedics and the department bills for transport. In others, a separate ambulance provider handles transport. Ask which agency would actually arrive for a medical call at your address.

Plains, Mountain and Western Slope Coverage: Volunteer and Small-District Realities

Outside the metro belt the picture changes. Weld County has more listings than any other county in the database, partly because it is geographically large and split among many small districts. Union Colony Fire and Rescue Authority Station 7 serves Greeley at 6623 West 10th Street. Frederick-Firestone Fire Protection District Station 2 is listed with a Longmont mailing address at 3991 Rowe Street, yet it is a Weld County station, not a Boulder County one.

In southwest Colorado, Durango Fire and Rescue Authority Station 4 sits on Highway 550, and Upper Pine River Fire Protection District Station 5 covers the Bayfield area from County Road 501. Montrose County's Loghill Mesa Volunteer Fire Department works from County Road 22. Black Hawk Fire Department in Gilpin County serves a small mountain town with its own compact response area.

Rural response differs in ways worth planning for. Crews may drive from home or from a distant station, so arrival takes longer. Many properties have no hydrants, so engines carry water or rely on tenders. A reflective address sign at the end of your driveway matters, because county road numbers and private lanes confuse dispatch. Insurers also look at a district's public protection class and the distance to the nearest station, so ask the department for your property's rating when you shop for a policy.

Wildfire Responsibility in Colorado: Sheriffs, the State Forest Service and Federal Land

Wildfire adds a second layer. Under state law, the county sheriff is responsible for fire control on unincorporated land outside a fire district or municipality, and the sheriff can ask DFPC for help when a fire exceeds local resources. Federal land falls to the US Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management, and state parks to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

That is why a few entries in our database are not classic fire stations. The Colorado State Forest Service at 102 Remington Street in Fort Collins, the US Forest Service San Carlos Ranger District office in Cañon City and Lake Pueblo State Park are land managers with fire duties. Contact them about forest conditions, fuel reduction or area closures, not for emergencies.

The Colorado State Forest Service, part of Colorado State University, publishes guidance on defensible space and works with communities on wildfire protection plans. In practice, you clear flammable vegetation in zones around your home, starting with the first few feet. Poudre Canyon Fire Protection District Station 1, the headquarters in Bellvue, sits in the Larimer County canyon country touched by the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire, the largest wildfire in Colorado history by acreage.

During dry spells, counties and agencies impose Stage 1 or Stage 2 fire restrictions that limit campfires, outdoor smoking and some equipment use. Colorado law also limits consumer fireworks to non-aerial types, and many towns and counties ban them entirely. Check with the local department and the sheriff before any outdoor burning.

Why Your Colorado Mailing Address May Not Match Your Fire District

Post office names and fire boundaries rarely line up. A Longmont address can sit in Weld County, and a Sedalia address can fall inside North Fork Fire Protection District territory in Douglas County, as the station on South County Highway 67 shows. To confirm your agency:

Use the listings on this page to compare stations by county, then verify with the agency itself before relying on any address or phone number for a time-sensitive need.

Fire departments across Colorado range from large career departments in major cities to volunteer departments serving small rural communities, all operating under state fire codes and local ordinances to protect residents from fire and emergency hazards.

Fire Departments locations are available in 332 cities across Colorado. They are spread across 64 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, which have multiple fire stations strategically located to maintain rapid response times for their dense populations.

Residents of Colorado should know your local fire department's non-emergency phone number so you can request burn permits, safety inspections, and community programs without tying up the 911 emergency line.

Fire Departments by Counties

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Residents of Colorado planning any outdoor burning should contact their local fire department for open burning regulations and permit requirements, which can vary significantly by county and season due to drought conditions and fire danger ratings.

Browse Fire Departments by county across Colorado to find the nearest location.

Using Colorado Fire Departments: Costs, Records and Visits

Most Colorado fire districts are funded by property taxes approved by voters, so a fire response usually costs nothing at the door. Ambulance transport is different. Where a department provides it, the bill goes to you or your insurer. Some jurisdictions also charge for repeated false alarms, permits, plan reviews and inspections. Fees vary by agency, so ask for the current schedule instead of trusting a figure you found online.

Career stations are staffed, but crews may be out on a call when you arrive. For administrative business, call the district's headquarters or business office first. Poudre Canyon Fire Protection District keeps its headquarters at Station 1 in Bellvue, while many small volunteer stations have no daytime office staff at all.

For permits and inspections, bring the property address, the parcel number and a short description of the project. For a records request, bring the date, address and incident number if you have one. In Larimer County, you can compare Loveland Fire and Rescue Department Station 1 at 410 East 5th Street with mountain districts like Poudre Canyon. In La Plata County, Durango's authority and the Upper Pine River district around Bayfield cover very different terrain.

A 911 call from a cell phone goes to a dispatch center that sends the right agency. Text-to-911 availability varies by county, so call whenever you safely can. For anything that is not an emergency, use the department's regular line.

Fire Department Questions We Hear in Colorado

Start with your county assessor's parcel search, which usually lists every taxing district on the property, including the fire protection district. Then confirm with the county clerk and recorder or the Colorado Department of Local Government's special district records. Do not rely on your mailing city. A Longmont address can belong to a Weld County district, and a Sedalia address may fall under North Fork Fire Protection District in Douglas County. Finally, call the non-emergency number of the department you identified and ask whether your road and house number are inside its response area. Write the answer next to your address sign.

It depends on where the fire starts. Inside a city or fire district, the local department commands the first response. On unincorporated land outside any district, the county sheriff holds fire-control responsibility and can request help from the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. Fires on national forest land fall to the US Forest Service, and state parks such as Lake Pueblo are managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Large fires usually move to a unified command in which several agencies share decisions. Evacuation orders normally come from the sheriff or local emergency management, so sign up for your county's alert system.

Often yes, but the rules are local. Many fire districts and sheriff's offices require permits for open burning such as ditch burns, slash piles and agricultural fires, and they can refuse a permit on dry or windy days. Some areas also involve county public health or the state air quality program. During Stage 1 or Stage 2 restrictions, open burning is typically banned outright and campfire rules tighten. Call the fire district that covers your property before you burn anything, and ask about permit fees, required water supply and notice to dispatch. Never assume last year's permit still applies.

Contact the department's records custodian and make a request under the Colorado Open Records Act. Give the address, date and approximate time, plus the incident number if you have it. Under the act, a custodian generally must respond within three working days, with a longer extension allowed only in extraordinary circumstances. Agencies may charge a reasonable copying or research fee, and they can redact medical details or other protected information. Insurance adjusters often need the report for claims, so ask whether the department has a standard form or online portal. Smaller volunteer departments may route requests through a district manager or town clerk.

Yes. Many rural departments depend on volunteers, including Loghill Mesa Volunteer Fire Department in Montrose County and districts in La Plata County such as Upper Pine River near Bayfield. Contact the chief or station directly. Expect an application, a background check, medical screening and a training period that often starts with Firefighter I coursework. Some departments cover training costs and provide gear, while others expect a set monthly time commitment. Many also welcome non-firefighting roles such as EMS support, driving or administration. Call before you visit, since volunteer stations often have no daytime staff.

In most homes, yes. Colorado law requires a carbon monoxide alarm near rooms used for sleeping in residences that have fuel-burning heaters or appliances, fireplaces or an attached garage. The requirement applies when a home is sold or rented, and landlords generally must supply working alarms. Smoke alarm rules come mostly from local fire codes, so details vary between Denver, Colorado Springs and rural districts. Some departments offer help with alarm placement or battery changes, particularly for older residents. Call your local non-emergency line to ask what programs exist in your district.