Chris Hawkins was overwhelmed when Mary Barrowman showed up at the Four Mile fire station with a $400,000 check from Prospect Home Care & Hospice Foundation.

Chief of the fire protection district, Hawkins had a vision for expanding the operation with a new building. But that was more of a pipe dream. Then Barrowman showed up- this after preceding discussions and commitments.

“We’ll have a weight room, sleeping quarters, bathrooms, showers and a commercially equipped kitchen,” Hawkins said. “It’s going to be state-of-the art.”

The foundation’s gift provides matching funds to strengthen the grant application to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs for the estimated $1 million project. That, along with community support, is crucial.  

“The community supports us, so we should have a good chance of getting the grant for our infrastructure,” Hawkins said, adding that the community chipped in $10,000 during a recent fundraiser.

For Barrowman, the check represents closure of the foundation.

“The legacy of service to the community that Prospect delivered for over four decades is best met by our rural fire stations that lack the larger tax bases of the city departments,” Barrowman said. “Nearly all volunteers, they deliver lifelines to the community from first on scene at all emergencies and more.”

Barrowman is a donor as well as a resident of Four Mile.

“My stewardship of Prospect investments made this happen. This will make a difference for decades to come,” she said.

Last year, Prospect foundation donated $207,000 for a Type 6 2024 Dodge brush truck, now named “MB.” Last week, the foundation added $7,000 for wildland personal protective equipment.

With 38 volunteers and six paid staff, the department has strengthened its ability to respond to the demand of a growing area.

“The average age of our volunteers is 43 – down from 58 ½,” he said.

Of the volunteers and staff, 17 have certified medical licenses, from paramedics to emergency medical technicians.

“Last year, 83% of our calls were medical,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins credits Sean Keenan, M.D., UCHealth EMS Medical Director for Teller County, for keeping the district up to date on emergency treatment.

“He is very forward-thinking, gave us the whole blood program up here, has given us training and skills we can use because we are so rural,” Hawkins said. “We have had traumatic injuries and had we not had the whole blood, we could not have saved the lives we did.”

Even with the whole blood, Four Mile crews are up against that independent mindset, that injuries or illness can be taken care of at home.  

“People up here are tough, so it has to be pretty serious if they’re calling ‘911,’” Hawkins said.

Michael Mangiarelli

Hawkins, who is certified as a wildland and structure firefighter, recently launched a Four Mile Wildland Task Force and hired Michael Mangiarelli to coordinate the force.

To date, the team has fought fires in Idaho, New Mexico, Idaho, Nebraska, Alabama, Texas and Colorado.

“We send people out to large wildfires if we have available resources,” Mangiarelli said. “We also get paid which allows us to fund new equipment without having to reach out to our taxpayers. Fighting fires pays their wages and takes care of them when they’re out there.”

This year, fighting fires away from home helped fund a Type 3 wildland engine which can also be used for structure fires.

“We can take care of purchasing that $750,000 engine in one season by going out and fighting fires,” Mangiarelli said.  

Before coordinating Hawkins’ wildland fire crew, Mangiarelli fought fires for the U.S. Forest Service and managed the inmate crews for the state of Colorado. 

“My background is 100% wildfire; my job is to make sure our community is safe and that our firefighters are equipped to fight fires nationally,” he said.

Mangiarelli trains the wildland crew while ensuring that the equipment is up to date.

“We have the same standards as the U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management,” he said.  

While coordinating the wildland fire team, Mangiarelli is responsible for ensuring the safety of the Four Mile area. 

“Obviously, our priority is taking care of our district first, making sure we have the best firefighters and equipment,” he said.