Douglas County approves $4.2 million Helitack hangar for wildfire response

Douglas County commissioners on June 23 approved a $4.2 million contract with TCC Corporation to build a dedicated Helitack hangar, giving the county a permanent base for its firefighting helicopter and crew.

County leaders said the building is meant to solve a practical gap in wildfire readiness: Douglas County’s aerial firefighting resources have had to operate without a dedicated, protected home. The new hangar is intended to store, maintain and rapidly deploy the helicopter and Helitack personnel when dry winds, lightning and fast-moving fire conditions hit the foothills and mountain areas west of the metro.

The hangar is the first phase of a larger Regional Joint Public Safety Training Complex. Douglas County budget materials say public safety funding in the 2026 budget already included the hangar as part of a Firefighting Response and Training Facility, with a longer-term plan that also includes a joint training facility for law enforcement and wildfire response personnel, plus an equipment facility.

That broader buildout matters because more than 66% of Douglas County’s population lives in the Wildland Urban Interface, where homes, open space and steep terrain increase the stakes for every fire start. County officials have also said Douglas County is the only county in Colorado with a dedicated firefighting helicopter and Helitack team on standby year-round.

The hangar contract follows another major wildfire investment. On Feb. 24, commissioners approved a $1,530,000 contract with Trans Aero, LTD, for 168 days of exclusive-use Type 2 helicopter coverage through Dec. 31, 2026. The aircraft can deliver 300 gallons of water to a wildfire’s front lines, and county materials say a similar 2025 contract also covered 168 days through Dec. 31, 2025.

County records show the Trans Aero helicopter responded to 32 wildfires in 2024, including 22 inside Douglas County and 10 outside the county when help was requested and reimbursement was available. County materials also say the Helitack team and helicopter were critical during the July 2025 Louviers fire, when responders reached 90% containment by the following morning.

Residents in Castle Rock, Littleton, Louviers, Highlands Ranch and Castle Pines will judge the hangar by whether it shortens the time between ignition and aerial attack, keeps equipment protected and ready, and improves coordination before the next fire season. Douglas County’s 2025 emergency planning, shaped by previous wildfires, the 2022 tornado in Highlands Ranch and the 2024 BMW Championship in Castle Pines, already pointed toward tighter integration among emergency managers, deputies and fire crews. The hangar now gives that system a fixed home.