Stop the Bolder Boulder plastic waste; address Boulder County fire protection services

Sep 07, 2023

It was great running the Bolder Boulder again. My challenge to the Bolder Boulder organizers is to stop using any plastic for the event. There is too much plastic being used for water bottles, the goodie bags, and the plastic film food packaging. Reduce or eliminate the water stations that use plastic/wax cups; runners really can carry their own water. Metal cans could be used for water and/or reusable water bottle stations in the stadium. The goodie bags should be replaced with paper or compostable nonplastic material. I really did not notice any plastic recycling bins for the water bottles. The university could step in and require a nonplastic event in the stadium, which would help its sustainability program.

Come on, get away from this plastic waste and look for more sustainable alternatives.

Art Hirsch, Boulder

Thank you to the Boulder Daily Camera for publishing my letter to the editor regarding the Louisville Fire Protection District Board of Directors election on May 2. The election outcome was mixed, but a voter turnout of 27% in an off-year minor election is a noteworthy first step.

Some realities of Boulder County fire protection services that I believe need addressing:

In the 2020 census, Boulder County had roughly 330,700 people living in 726 Square miles. The Fire and EMS call volume exceeds 34,000 calls a year. Population densities vary greatly. In the unincorporated county there are 195 people per square mile, the City of Boulder exceeds 4,000 people per square mile, Longmont 3,500, and Louisville about 2,700 per square mile. Yet all of Boulder County lives in the urban-wildland interface fire zone. That creates an array of firefighting challenges, including having 24 different fire departments, a shared law enforcement and fire rescue dispatch center designed for law enforcement and about 18,000 to 20,000 calls a year. Not 34,000!

Chesterfield County, Virginia, population 360,000 and Frederick County, Maryland, population 273,000, are examples of successful large combined career/volunteer fire and EMS organizations managed as one entity. One combined fire authority for Boulder County, excluding Boulder City, Longmont and Mountain View (a Weld County-based fire service) can provide the County Firefighters quality management, training and access to purchasing more modern apparatus and better-planned responses. It will also go a long way in gaining a better ISO rating which is what most home insurance agencies look at when determining insurance premiums. With informed voting practices and careful selection of fire district board leadership working with a combined assessed value of $2.32 billion, county fire service success can be achieved, but slowly. Another great step in the correct direction!

Dave Bishop, Louisville

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