Rico Fire District Approves Rescue Vehicle Purchase, Seeks Land Transfer

The Rico Fire Protection District board voted on November 17 to purchase a rescue vehicle from a Utah supplier, approving an itemized bid with an approximate total cost of $209,000. The district described the vehicle as intended for auto accident response and outfitted with extraction and stabilization equipment to serve Rico and surrounding areas.

The bid documents presented to the board listed a 2024 Ford F 550 chassis with a heavy duty nine foot three inch bed equipped with tool boxes and LED in box lighting. The vehicle package included a multi tone siren and a range of work and scene lights, a 300 gallon water tank with pump and a foam retardant system for firefighting capability, hydraulic rescue tools such as spreaders and cutters, associated hand and air tools, and cribbing and airbags for stabilizing vehicles in rollovers or on precarious terrain.

Board members also discussed a pending land transfer from the Town of Rico to the district. The firehouse currently sits on parcels owned by the town, and RFPD Treasurer Gregg Anderson described preparations with a land title company to transfer Block 2, Lots 9 through 12 to the district. That transfer would formalize ownership of the site where the district operates.

The meeting included review of the proposed 2026 budget. The district worksheet shown at the meeting projected property tax revenue rising from about 114.1 thousand dollars year to date in 2025 to about 131.6 thousand dollars in 2026, and listed total proposed 2026 revenue at roughly 155.2 thousand dollars. The rescue vehicle price notably exceeds the district s proposed annual revenue, highlighting the magnitude of the acquisition for a small rural department and the likely need to draw on reserves, grants, or donations to complete the purchase.

For residents of Dolores County the approved vehicle promises stronger on scene capabilities for vehicle extrication, initial firefighting and stabilization in difficult terrain, while the budget and land transfer discussions underline the fiscal and administrative steps the district must manage to sustain and formalize those improvements. The board s next meetings will determine implementation and funding details.