Brazos Canyon Volunteer Fire Department, Chama, NM

About Us

Welcome to the Brazos Canyon Fire District from the fire chief and all the volunteer fire fighters.

The BCVFD district encompasses the developments of Brazos Lodge Estates, Enchant-A-Rama, Mountain Shadows, Brazos Meadows, Brazos Estates, The Boulders, Ticonderoga, Millstone Acres, and the development of Ponderosa. The fire district was first organized in 1998 and sanctioned by the State of New Mexico in 1999. The previous fire station was completed in 2002 and housed four fire trucks. Since the destruction of the original fire house in February, 2008, a new one has been built in the same location. Bigger and better.

BACKGROUND top

The Brazos Canyon Volunteer Fire Department (BCVFD) was certified by the State of New Mexico and Rio Arriba County in 1999. The department serves an area of about eight square miles along State Road 512 in north central New Mexico. The Brazos Canyon is east of US Highway 84/64, midway between Tierra Amarilla and Chama, New Mexico.

The department has been providing fire protection services for nearly 500 properties. We have approximately 120 permanent residents and 400 seasonal residents in the area. Additionally, many visitors and vacationers frequent the canyon’s commercial establishments and rental properties. There are over 251 homes/cabins in “The Brazos.”

The fire district covered by the BCVFD was expanded in 2007 to include the Ponderosa subdivision, a 1700-acre wildland/urban interface area. This adds 77 structures, including ranch land, dwellings and a sawmill to the district. Our district is now 20 square miles for the Brazos and 12 square miles for Pondersa.

The Brazos Canyon is heavily forested and ranges in elevation from 7800 to 9000 feet. Snow in the canyon typically will start in September or October and will end in April or May. Annually the average snowfall for the upper portion of the canyon (most heavily populated area) is in excess of 150 inches per season. Approximately 25 percent of the cabins/homes and 50 percent of the properties in the canyon are at an elevation appreciatively above or below the grade of SR 512.

The New Mexico State Forestry Division recently rated the Brazos Canyon and Ponderosa as being among the ten most dangerous wildland/urban interface areas in New Mexico. The Ponderosa has only one all-weather road in and out, and the eight miles long, SR 512 is the only way into and out of the Brazos canyon.

MISSION top

Range of Possible Services Considered
For Inclusion in BCVFD Mission

Category

Priority

Included in Mission

Excluded from Mission

Comment

FIRE

First

This is JOB ONE.

Geographic scope/responsibility is our District which is comprised of the communities / developments East of US 84/64 to the Brazos Cliffs and north of the Brazos River to the northern border of Ponderosa. This includes the Brazos Lodge Estates, Millstone Acres, Brazos Estates, Brazos Meadows, Ticonderoga and Ponderosa developments

The Department has agreed to provide Mutual Aid to other County Departments if doing so leaves the District with at least 2 firefighters and a fire truck, in addition to the Department Base.

Fighting fires includes “rescue” of victims threatened by the fire.

HAZMAT

Second

Awareness function only and primarily in connection with a fire or threatened fire.

Recognize potential hazards and report to appropriate authorities.

Assist law enforcement with any required isolation and evacuation.

No “technical hazmat services.”

Technical hazmat services are very specialized in terms of equipment, skills and training and is expected to remain beyond the capability of the Department.

Individual members with the required skills and training may act in their individual capacity.

RESCUE

Third

“Rope rescue” activity only

within the limits of our equipment, training and personnel avaliable.

Vehicle extracation with hand/electric tools.

“Search” (ground pounding) aspect of Search & Rescue.

As in the case of EMS, rescue services can be provided only within the limits of our training and equipment.

E.g. The Department only has hand tools, no hydraulic tools for vehicle extraction.

At this time the fire department does not have any hydraulic tools.

Extracation capability will be expanded in the future.

OFFICERS top

POSITION	OFFICER	DESCRIPTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES
Fire Chief	T.J. Allard	Oversee and coordinate the responsibilities of the Officers reporting to him. As required by State Law, sign all purchase orders, budget transfers and travel claims. Maintain communications with County Fire Marshal. Occasionally instruct in-house training. Sign travel and training claims. Oversee state funds budget and communicate with County finance officer. Oversee Community Funds budget, bank account and CD for new Pumper. Ensure that communications required to support 24/7 services are maintained. Prepare State Fire Fund Application. Prepare annual EMS Application. Attend monthly Rio Arriba County Fire and Rescue Association (Chiefs Association meeting
Assistant Fire Chief	Paul Schultz	Be prepared to step in and do each of the Chief’s responsibilities in the Chief’s absence. Ensure the fire apparatus are in a condition to respond to a fire. Ensure each fire apparatus is full of fuel. Oversee the weekly/monthly/annual routine maintenance. Oversee/schedule repair/maintenance. Ensure the fire apparatus are in a condition to respond to a fire. Ensure each fire apparatus is full of fuel. Oversee the weekly/monthly/annual routine maintenance. Oversee/schedule repair/maintenance
Captain Incident Command	Mike Cousins	Be prepared to step in and do each of the Chief’s and Asst. Chief responsibilities in the Chief’s and Asst Chief's absence.
Captain Water Resources	Bob Diefenbaugh	Water Resources & Building Maintenance Officer
Lieutenant Training Officer	Kevin Chafins	Prepare a monthly training schedule. Contact an instructor for each monthly training. Develop training plan for new members as a check list and ensure new members complete their required training. Periodically schedule pre-fire plan training. In partnership with the Chief, be responsible for the training records.
Lieutenant Public Relations & Fund Raising Officer	Mike Valdez	Organize the annual “Gigantic Garage Sale”. Organize any other fund raising event (e.g., Pancake Breakfast, BBQ, Cookbook Sales) Arrange for radio announcements for the Gigantic Garage Sale or other fund raising events. Arrange for an annual “Volunteer Appreciation Dinner” and send out invitations
Financial Officer	Kim Holtry	Maintain Department’s community funds accounts. (Checking Account & UBS) Maintain State Fire Protection Fund balances. Prepare Community fund and State fund balance sheet prior to meeting and present at meeting. Prepare bill payments for the Chief (or another designated person) to sign.
Lieutenant Secretary Safety Officer	Catherine Praiswater	Take minutes at all meetings. Type up minutes and file in folder/computer. Read previous month’s minutes at meeting. Responsible for guiding the Planning Committee through the development of : a. Long-term (multi-year) plan b. Near-term (annual) plans c. Budget preparation d. Grant preparation e. Pre-fire plans (Ensure pre-fire plans are published and installed on each truck.) f. Evacuation Plan
Building Maintenance	Dale Cowder	Organize routine repair to buildings (e.g., periodic log staining) Locate local contractors to accomplish repair items. Organize routine cleaning of the Chief’s office and kitchen/training rooms
Equipment Officer	Mike Praiswater	Ensure the Department has necessary firefighting equipment and that the equipment is located on the appropriate truck/vehicle/trailer. Prepare POs when additional equipment is needed. Responsible for overseeing regular maintenance of equipment. SCBA inspections Radio battery recharging Flashlight battery recharging Responsible for developing Operating Procedures. Responsible for seeing that equipment (e.g., hose) testing is completed. Responsible for organizing Storage Building. Ensure the Department has good communications. Annually test the base/truck radios. (This can be contracted to an outside company.) Ensure the Department has a good supply of handheld radios and batteries. Install base radios around the fire district. Conduct periodic training on communications. Train new fire fighters on how to use the handheld radios & truck radios. Ensure that all Department members are prepared to take on the role of Safety Officer at a call. Responsible for issuing gear to new members. Responsible for organizing equipment room.

ISO RATING top

Our ISO rating is a 7/9. 7 where hydrants are located and 9 where hydrants are absent. ISO is a nationwide rating of a fire departments capabilities, mostly for a structure fire at this time, but ISO is considering, wildland fire suppression capabilities also.

When they evaluate a fire department, they look at everything from volunteer’s training, bookkeeping, hardware, to water delivery, and everything in between. Most insurance companies, but not all, look at this rating to determine their insured property owner’s insurance rates. This number also determines how much money the fire department receives from the State of New Mexico and its fire funds. As can be seen from our list of fire trucks, we are very concerned about wildland fires in addition to structure fires. We train and equip our volunteer firefighters to do both.

Designed and Maintained

Morys "Peaches" Hines