April 12, 2022
Jerry Guida, the president of the IPNA, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The meeting was held at the Scheitler Recreation Center, since our previous meeting place at Camp Rollandet is not available at this time.
Denver Police Department. DFD Chief Desmond Fulton introduced Robert Murphy, the Chief of Operations for DFD. He gave a presentation on wildfire risk, preparedness and mitigation. Chief Murphy pointed out that the Marshall fire made us cognizant of what can happen with wildfire close to an inhabited area. The Department’s goal is to have a truck leave the station within one minute of a call and to get to the fire within four minutes. He said that the city has an ISO rating of 1, which is the best rating possible. The Department is fully accredited, the only fire department in the country with both an ISO rating of 1 and full accreditation. He explained what fire crews do, including rescuing residents from fire, rescue operations and hazardous materials (hazmat) response units.
Bob Lorenz pointed out that the fire station at West 44th and Tennyson has an engine company. Murphy noted that engine companies have ladders and that Engine Company 17, at 44th and Tennyson, has four ladders and is supported by ladder truck from that station at West 26th and Federal. He added that DFD makes sure it covers trucks when they have to leave their stations in order to refuel.
He explained that the major concern with wildfires is the wind, as was the case with the Marshall fire. Murphy added that 90% of fires are human-caused and that wildfires can occur anywhere there is grass, brush, trees or other fuel. Weather also plays a critical role. He noted that during the Marshall fire, the area had sustained winds of more than 100 miles per hour.
On the day of the fire, the Boulder Fire Department reached out to other fire departments throughout the state. Denver sent five engine companies, plus two incident commanders, who stayed in that area for a week to help with the clean-up efforts. Murphy noted that they saved many homes, which was very rewarding for the crews. When Denver sends those resources, it brings in people who are off duty and uses equipment that is not then in use.
DFD has wildland fire engines pre-positioned throughout the City. It has approximately 200 wildland firefighters with the skills and preparedness to fight an urban wildland fire. Murphy pointed out that each engine carries 500 gallons of water. Denver also has mutual aid agreements with surrounding agencies.
Murphy then spoke about personal and family preparedness. He said that the first thing is insurance; one of biggest problems with the Marshall fire was underinsured residents. The cost of building materials keeps increasing. He advised us to look at our policies and to talk to our insurance agents to make sure we have enough coverage. Insurance companies demand a home inventory, but few people have done it. Murphy recommended that people have serial numbers for their property, just as people should do in the event of a theft.
Chief Murphy recommended that each family create a family emergency communications plan, including an escape route and a decision of who will be the point of contact. He said that the time to do that is before an emergency occurs. We should have a hard copy of our contact list in case our phone is destroyed. We should make sure that each family member has a “go bag,” which should include medications, a spare pair of glasses, cash, bottled water, a flashlight, batteries, hand-cranked radios, documents (which could be stored in a dishwater or in a fire-proof safe or lockbox), cell phones and chargers. In short, it should contain what we would need if we were away from home for three days. We can also sign up to receive emergency alert notifications. In addition, we can prepare our homes and properties for wildfires, including trimming large trees. He added that there are different types of plans for different types of property.
There also exist neighborhood business emergency planning resources, including with the Small Business Administration and the American Red Cross. DFD, Murphy said, is just one agency that can play a role in mitigating and reducing potential wildfire hazards. The DenverREADY approach helps to prepare for wildfires.
Bob discussed what happened when there was a fire just before July 4, 2020, just west of the Inspiration Point Park. Murphy said that fire hydrants and control of fireworks are both important. Bobbi DeLisa discussed her concern about the wildfire potential in the Park. She said that there was a lot of smoke the previous Saturday, coming from a garage on Clear Creek. She added that she would like to get Parks and Recreation to cut weeds. Chief Fulton responded that control of fireworks is like a game of Whack-a-Mole and that DFD tries to wet things down.
One resident talked about the prompt DFD response to a fire across the street from his house. He said that he was impressed by DFD’s response to that fire and to a kitchen fire in his house. Another resident talked about DFD’s prompt response to open fire on property owned by one of her neighbors. Fulton suggested having a dog door to help keep pets safe when a home catches fire.
Denver Police Department. Commander Layla DeSteffany of DPD said she and Ofcr. Michelle Cooper came to our meeting to talk about crime, including what’s going on in our community. She pointed out that crime levels have increase around the country; crimes are up about 40% over a three-year average and that violent crimes up by about 10%. Cmdr. DeSteffany noted that we are doing a little better in District 1. We are about even on violent crime over a three-year average. Auto thefts are up by about 100%, which is a city-wide trend.
The City can provide steering wheel-locking clubs and theft-resistant license plate screws. She said that people steal cars mostly to commit other crimes, that a stolen car makes them undetectable. DPD is understaffed. It is trying to catch up, with a couple of training academies for new officers scheduled for this year, but it’s still a game of catch-up. The Department is trying to be smarter about what they do, including through the use of neighborhood watch programs.
A resident said that a couple of car clubs take over the park on Sunday afternoons and that clubs move to a different location if chased from one where they have been gathering. Another resident said that cars race on I-70 on Sunday nights between Wadsworth and Sheridan. DeSteffany suggested calling those incidents in. If we have a video that shows a contest, especially if they kept their license plates on, that would be especially helpful. However, there are not a lot of great tools right now. DPD is trying to develop them with the help of the City Attorney’s Office.
Bob Lorenz stated that motorcycles race on I-70 between Wadsworth and Sheridan, Sunday nights, a problem that has existed for 20 years. There is only one radar-certified officer in District 1, which has to rely on Traffic Operations. There does exist a metro-area task force to deal with traffic issues. The State Patrol doesn’t deal with the highways in Denver.
John DeLisa asked what are the causes of the crime increase. DeSteffany responded that COVID-19 was a major cause, along with the arrest and release of offenders. She said that DPD is seeing road rage and other crimes in which people are not acting they way they used to act.
Ofcr. Cooper brought some literature. She presented information on how to get your bike back if it is stolen. She added that auto theft is down in our immediate area, but increased in the rest of District 1.
Matt Ryan said that the City expects to have the Inspiration Point Park improvements open by Memorial Day.
Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval. Councilwoman Sandoval provided information about the roles played by her office staff. She has an in-house land use planner. She also led the redistricting effort in Denver. She said that Council District 1 no longer includes West Colfax, but gained part of the Central Park neighborhood. In addition, street sweeping season is back.
Improvements for Sheridan and West 52nd are included in the City’s most recent bond project. The City has prioritized sidewalks on Sheridan between West 52nd Avenue and I-70. The City is now in the planning stage for that project and hopes to get additional money in the budget for Fiscal Year 2023. She’s excited about the reopening of the Park. Bicycle lanes are being extended in Northwest Denver. Improvements are needed at I-70 and Lowell, a highway exit that intersects with a bike lane in a residential neighborhood, one block from a park. She said that she’s concerned about not only bicyclists, but also about pedestrians.
Councilwoman Sandoval discussed the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. She said we can provide information to the PRAB about any issues that may arise after the Inspiration Point Park reopens. We can also contact the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Advisory Board. We might need to look at permits to use the park if usage in Inspiration Point Park increases. She provided links to different contacts for Northwest Denver.
She suggested that, if we see homeless camps, calling 311 and identifying the location as quickly as possible. It is much more difficult to remove tents if more than three are erected in one location. The three-tent threshold was set by a judge in a lawsuit against the City. There is a women’s shelter at a Travelodge on Federal, near I-70, and a location for homeless people on Regis property.
Councilwoman Sandoval told us that, once a month, she has an Ask a Planner meeting. She provided contact information for her office. She added that she worked with us on the Squeeze Inn issue and spent a lot of time with Jerry Guida on the phone about that issue. She said she is very excited about the prospect of sidewalks on Sheridan within five years.
She explained that the City wasn’t able to get sound walls on the south side of I-70 or west of Tennyson. She is hoping to get money for sound walls when work is done on the I-70/Harlan interchange.
Secretary’s report. A motion was duly made and seconded to approve the minutes from the Association’s Zoom meeting on April 13, 2021. That motion was approved by acclamation.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:26 p.m.
Sincerely,
Barry Roseman
Secretary