Led by Division Captain Jeanette Kehoe, the mission of the Golden Fire Department Training Division is to prepare firefighters from-probation through retirement-to serve as safe, effective, and efficient team members who save lives and property. Fire & Life Safety Division Chief Case believes that a proactive educational approach to the fire code is the most effective way of preventing fires. Along with the annual fire safety inspections, the Fire & Life Safety Division is responsible for plan reviews of all commercial buildings and fire pre-plans. The fire pre-plans are designed to assist firefighters during an emergency with critical information about each structure. All divisions within the Golden Fire Department work together to create a safe environment for those who live, work and visit the City of Golden.
Although the fire service is full of tradition, the 21st century of Golden Fire Department faces change and challenges. Now, the fire department response to more than 2200 incidents yearly compared to 798 in 1999. These 2200 incidents included structure fires, wildland urban interface fires, vehicle fires, hazardous materials, service, medical and a vast array of technical rescue calls. The Golden Fire Departments’ technical rescue team specializes in steep slope and low angle evacuations, ice rescue, auto extrication, industrial rescue and water rescue. In fact, the Golden Fire water rescue team is one of the state’s most elite water rescue groups. GFD hosts an annual advanced water rescue training instructed by professionals from Dive Rescue International. With the volume of incidents nearly doubling in the past 20 years, the Golden Fire Department maintains a quick response time averaging five minutes or less for the first unit to arrive on scene. To help alleviate burnout, our roster has increased from 45 volunteers to 85, providing quality emergency services at a low cost to the taxpayers. For nearly 150 years, dedicated volunteers have given countless hours to the community of Golden, and we continue to look forward to the future.