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Project Overview

Boulder Fire-Rescue strives to balance fiscal responsibility with the operational and social needs of the department and the campus community. The Department plays a pivotal role in its representation of this responsibility through daily interactions with the public. The community's goal of living on a safe campus is the vision of the Department's Strategic Plan.

Please see the below efforts for continuous improvement:

  • Community Risk Assessment Standard of Cover
  • Boulder Fire-Rescue Accreditation
  • Boulder Fire-Rescue Master Plan

Community Risk Assessment/Standard of Cover (CRA/SOC) Document

The CRA/SOC serves as the primary deployment planning and resource allocation tool for BFR. The purpose of the document is to balance the assessed risks faced by the community and mitigate those through Community Risk Reduction approaches that include planning, response, education, and prevention. Contained within the CRA/SOC is information pertaining to station and apparatus locations, response trends, the specific risks faced by the residents of the City of Boulder, and outlines BFR’s level of service for response-based programs. The CRS/SOC describes the roles and responsibilities of each program area, and highlights deployment strategies and operational elements required to maintain the stated level of service. In addition, the document contains data elements and recommendations to enhance the Department’s performance. The primary goals of the Department are to improve service delivery and increase safety for the residents of The City of Boulder.

Boulder Fire-Rescue Accreditation

Accreditation through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) and the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) is an international measure of excellence. Accreditation is an independent review process of 255 performance indicators that evaluate the Fire Department's emergency services, programs, personnel, administration, financial management, and governance. Accreditation requires significant organizational review, monitoring, reporting, and improvement planning. A continuous process designed to create sustained excellence; the Fire Department will produce annual performance improvement reports and complete a re-accreditation process every 5 years.

There are approximately 259 internationally accredited fire agencies in the world. Through the Accreditation process, the surrounding community will receive the best service possible.

Accreditation requires BFR to evaluate 255 individual areas through a self-assessment process. Conducting a self-assessment helps identify the department's strengths and weaknesses and ensures plans for improvement are in place.

This self-assessment demonstrates our dedication to providing emergency services to the community. The self-assessment process also ensures those services are provided in an effective and efficient manner and promotes future excellence through a continuous self-assessment process.

BFR strives to balance fiscal responsibility with the operational and social needs of the department and the campus community. The Department plays a pivotal role in its representation of this responsibility through daily interactions with the public. The community's goal of living on a safe campus is the vision of the Department's Strategic Plan.

To learn more visit the CPSE Website

Master Plan

A Master Plan is an organizational planning document that draws from public engagement as well as a thorough assessment of the operational environment to frame resource allocation decisions. Organizations of all types utilize these documents to proactively guide decision-makers and to develop effective strategies to address challenges related to sustainability, funding, and resource allocation.

The Boulder Fire-Rescue Master Plan was reviewed by the community and Planning Board and City Council between winter 2018 - Spring 2019.The final plan integrates feedback gathered from the community and has measurable outcomes for tracking progress over time. Boulder Fire-Rescue uses the Master Plan to guide the development of annual work plans and collaborate with the community and agency partners throughout implementation.

Fire departments rely on these plans to ensure they are deploying their resources based on medium- and long-term goals. Fire department service delivery has grown increasingly complex over the last few decades and is now considered an “all-hazards” approach that goes well beyond simply responding to fires. These competing needs can have an influence on the ability to respond. Because of this, it is important that fire departments think and plan strategically.

The fire department performs updates to its Master Plan every five years. This interval ensures that we stay current with environmental changes in the community and that our services are aligned with other city priorities. While the master plan also identifies issues beyond the five-year horizon, the current interval ensures that the majority of the plan remains realistic to achieve.

The fire master plan will be a component of the planning framework outlined in the Community Sustainability Framework found in the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP). The BVCP is a master planning document that guides all planning efforts in the BVCP planning area and is approved by the City of Boulder and Boulder County. This approach ensures that planning efforts are coordinated to achieve optimal outcomes focused on the seven strategic areas of this planning framework. These are Safety and Community Well-Being, Community Character, Mobility, Energy, Natural Environment, Economic Vitality, and Good Governance. To achieve these goals, the fire master plan primarily links with the BVCP and the City of Boulder Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

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