Leslie Finn

4 Year Term Candidate

Vote for Leslie for the GHFPD Fire Board. Leslie was born and raised in Boulder. She has lived in Gold Hill for 39 years. Leslie understands the workings of governmental agencies and is familiar with processes that must be followed to help a Fire Board to work as an efficient team. She will assure that all Colorado Revised Statutes are adhered to in accordance with the requirements by the Colorado Department of Local Agencies. Leslie stands for integrity and honesty. She is dedicated to helping the fire department continue to work toward ensuring the continued safety of the residents of Gold Hill Fire Protection District, including acquisition of new equipment and selection of a new fire chief. She is enthusiastic about the recent fire mitigation projects and looks forward to working with those who made them happen and those who will do so in the future. As a board member, one of her interests includes collaborating with the community to find grants that can be mutually beneficial. A vote for Leslie is a vote for clear communication and a safer community.

For more information on Leslie’s campaign, please visit her website at: weallwinwithfinn

Jessica Brookhart

4 Year Term Candidate

Hello! I’m Jessica “Jessie” Brookhart. I am a current member of the GHFPD Board. I have served as a your acting treasurer since 2017. I also volunteer my time as the bookkeeper for the Department. I am seeking reelection to the board to continue the momentum the board has gained over the last several years. It has been exciting to work with the current board members as they are very knowledgeable and experienced in all things fire, mitigation, fire equipment, etc. I also shared the task of writing grants that have raised over $60,000 directly to the department over the last 2 years (bunker gear x 10, UTV + Equipment) and I would like to continue raising funds beyond your tax dollars. I would also like to continue our collaboration with the neighboring departments through the CWPP, as well as continuing our formal and informal relationships with the Mountain Stewards and The Boulder Watershed Collective. These partnerships and friendships have made all of us more resilient.

A little bit about my background and why I am here in this special community. I was raised in Gold Hill in the 1980’s, before moving to the plains for latter part of my youth. My family has over 100 years of history in Gold Hill, including the home my parents live in on Horfsal St. making me a 4th generation, and my boys 5th generation Gold Hill Residents. My Great-great Aunt was the founder of the Bluebirds, a group of women that owned the Bluebird Lodge starting in 1921 and for many years thereafter. I won’t bore you with too much history, but my heart and history live here. After moving east and graduating from high school in Lamar, Colorado, I attended Colorado College, and Majored in International Political Economy, before transferring to the University of Colorado at Boulder to earn my degree in Economics. I currently work for The Hapa Group, Inc. a locally owned, 6 store, restaurant chain, where I oversee operations, technology, legal, licensing, HR, marketing, and many other functions, that come with being a leader in a small, local business.

My love for the community and its people brought me back to Gold Hill multiple times, but back for good 13 years ago. After very little coercing, I convinced my husband Gold Hill was where we wanted to raise our two boys (now 9 and 12). We built our current home on a lot that had a home burn down on it in the 2010 Fourmile fire. Through that building process we learned much about fire regulations for buildings in a fire zone, and it was during that time that I attended a fire board meeting as a community member. History will tell you that finding board members in Gold Hill isn’t easy, and so that little bit of interest I showed made me an easy target. They asked me to join the board a few weeks later, and I jumped in feet first and learned as I went. It hasn’t always been easy, in fact, much of it has been hard. I’ve been challenged intellectually and emotionally. But, this community has always been at the heart of every comment I make and every decision I support. We have accomplished so much in the last few years, but there is so much more on the horizon. If I am reelected I will server you proudly and openly. jbrookhart@nullgmail.com. 720-352-3596

William “Kent” Coghill

4 Year Term Candidate

My name is William “Kent” Coghill and I am a current board member and volunteer for the Gold Hill Fire Protection District. I have been a professional Firefighter, EMT, and Wildland Firefighter for the Denver Fire Department since 2019. Prior to this I worked in Forestry, Wildland Fire, and as a Law Enforcement Ranger focusing on wildlife management, search and rescue, wildland fire, community education, and law enforcement. During this time I volunteered for Nederland Fire and Rocky Mountain Rescue. I am originally from upstate New York and attended Goucher College in Maryland where I graduated with a degree in Anthropology and Sociology. I have been in Boulder since 2009 and a resident of Gold Hill since 2019. My decision to move to Colorado was spurred by a childhood spent in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. Whenever possible I try to spend my time outdoors, hunting or fishing, and I have a passion for conservation and protection of our natural resources. My wife and I have a one year old son and are due with our second child in October of this year. My reason for seeking election in 2023 is to continue to build upon the work the fireboard has so far accomplished. In my perspective I am still young in my career with first response but over my careers and volunteer work I have fought and witnessed historically devastating wildfires, communities destroyed by flood and fire, and traumatic medical emergencies with limited medical personnel. The one theme tying these things together is that these events occur with no regard for our egos. The second that we think we know more or better as an individual the quicker our egos will be checked. In this regard I believe that we must continue to focus on collaboration and partnership, with other fire agencies and with the community at large. We need to be a department of action, of planning, of education, of partnership, and of preparation. Additionally I am focused on modernization, with our equipment and our techniques for doing our job. If I am elected I hope to continue this work and focus on purchase of a new and mobile apparatus to assist with firefighting efforts. I will work to find more permanent leadership for the department and find opportunities to train up and promote our current volunteers. I will also work to help our firefighters and community members feel supported and heard and I encourage people to communicate with each other face to face to get the facts right and not allow rumors and personal differences to divide us and put a wedge in between what we can create. The challenges we face as a fire department and as a town are bigger and more ominous than they were 20 years ago. Dramatically increased tourism with higher road traffic escalates our chances of car accidents, traumatic injuries, and medical emergencies. Hotter and drier summers with historically turbulent wind events paired with dense forests and continuous fuels leading directly to our community increases our chances of fast moving wildfires and structure fires. If we are to effectively combat or prevent these occurrences then it has to be with an open mind and with a focus on partnership. I think that all of our candidates are excellent individuals who will do a great job as members of the fire board and I encourage this community to vote to show your support for this department and to get involved, attend meetings, and join our department. Thank you to all those who are currently involved and who put their time in to help protect and better this community and to all those who came before for their dedication and hard work. Thanks for your time in reading a little bit about me.

Max Yeager

4 Year Term Candidate

Hi,

My name is Max Yeager, and I am running for election to the GHFPD Board of Directors. I have been a resident of the town of Gold Hill and an active member of the Gold Fire Department for forty-nine years this summer. I have been an officer for most of those years including the position of Chief for several years during the 1980s. The Fire Department was all volunteer when I arrived here, and I helped educate the public on the advantages and necessities of transitioning to a special district. Not all were fond of creating another “tax liability”, but the special district obviously prevailed. A few months before acquiring a residence in Gold Hill, in 1974, I was honorably released from active duty in the US Army. One of my last duty assignments in the Army was the Armed Forces Ski Patrol, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria. My job with that organization was a medic and Ambulance crewman. I was a decent skier, but surrounded by Olympic hopefuls and qualifiers, I was better suited to serve the medical side of the patrol. This was not a combat unit but rather a part of the US Ski Patrol. We patrolled the downhill slopes as well as backcountry search and rescue for skiing and climbing incidents in the Garmisch area. My involvement with Scouting while growing up left me with certifications in standard and advanced first aid, junior and senior lifesaving, water safety instructor. I worked lifeguarding all through High School while operating my own lawn care business. These credentials helped me through the 50 hour medical crash course which was part of qualification to be selected for the ski patrol assignment in the Army. I grew up on the banks of the Shenango River in Mercer County, PA. not far from Youngstown, Ohio. I moved to Boulder to attend the College of Environmental Design at the University of Colorado in 1970. I was drafted into military service after my second year in that program. After the two- year active- duty assignment I returned to Boulder and, shortly after, Gold Hill. I returned to the Environmental Design program for a brief period, then switched to an Industrial Occupations program to complete a degree. I worked in corporate construction for several years before leaving the Flatirons Companies in 1981 to start the business I am still occupied with today. Having so much time involved with the Gold Hill Fire Department I truly believe I have many qualifications which would be invaluable to the process of moving the Department/District forward into the future.

Boyd Brown

2 Year Term Candidate – Uncontested

Hello, my name is Boyd Brown and I am a current Board member. Even though I am running unopposed I thought it might be useful for you to understand who I am, why I am running again and what I think the Fire Board needs to have as it’s vision and priorities in the coming years. I am a 5th generation Gold Hill resident who spent summers here as I grew up and made this community my adult home in 1971. My grandmother was born in Gold Hill. So my ties to this community are very deep. I am very committed to the history, the culture and the lifestyle this place affords all of us. To have an effective emergency response system in our community requires us to have a high level of community involvement, have adequate resources, functional gear and equipment, collaboration with all stakeholders and organizations, training to meet response needs, the ability to respond to changing conditions, good responder morale and planning and priorities to achieve our goals. It makes me smile to see the overwhelming results of the mil-levy election, the grants that have been received, the collaboration with the surrounding fire districts, the wildfire mitigation on the northwest side of town, the increased water storage capacity and the voices from those in more remote parts of the district who have not been served as well as they should. So in the last 5 years we have made some great strides for the District but have a ways to go for sure. With new resources we, as a Board, have a responsibility to do our best job utilizing them, to serve the ever changing needs of the District.

 

Chris Dirolf

2 Year Term Candidate – Uncontested

My Name is Chris Dirolf and I am a current board member for the Gold Hill Fire Protection District. I grew up in upstate New York and went to school in Plattsburgh, New York, graduating with a BFA and minor in Environmental Science. I was bitten by the ski bug early in my life, which brought me to Colorado in 2009. My wife and I have lived in Gold Hill since 2018 and are expecting our first baby in September. I have worked as a Forester and Professional Wildlands Firefighter for over 15 years. I have recently moved into a new role as a Forest Program Manager for The Watershed Center, coordinating the St. Vrain Forest Health Partnership. It is a diverse collaboration of over 200 members, made up of fire and water districts, Boulder County, Colorado State Forest Service, US Forest Service, communities, and landowners working to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration within our watersheds. This role has continued to teach me about the power of collaboration to get things done. Continuing as a Gold Hill Fire Board Member, I am looking to the future of the district and the recent efforts to collaborate and coordinate with our neighbors. As a core team member for our new CWPP and a member of the Boulder West Wildfire Authority representing Gold Hill, I have been witness to our fire departments seeing the greatest value in combining efforts in order to best serve and protect our communities. This is the culture that I will continue to uphold. I am excited and thankful to be part of such a wonderful community and serving on this board.