Glendale officials will hand the keys of the city’s lone firehouse to Denver Fire Chief Larry Trujillo this morning, a day after Denver voters overwhelmingly supported a ballot issue to merge the cities’ departments.
With all ballots counted late Tuesday, almost 73 percent of the votes favored Referendum 1B, which changes Denver’s charter to allow the city to hire Glendale’s firefighters.
The victory results in Denver providing fire protection to the half-square-mile of Glendale, which is surrounded by Denver, and its 4,000 residents and its businesses. In return, Glendale will pay Denver $1.8 million a year over the next six years.
“Glendale will save money, and we’re actually going to be able to make some money and absorb some of their equipment, which is badly needed,” Trujillo said Tuesday.
While the fire merger was heralded by both sides, including the union representing Denver’s 900 firefighters, officials had feared the ballot wording would confuse voters.
To promote victory, the union spent $12,000 on mailings that explained the purpose of the measure.
On Tuesday, firefighters from Denver and Glendale waved signs in support of the merger at busy intersections. Trujillo was among a group of supporters at Federal and Speer boulevards.
“I think voters were able to see the overall picture and see that this was definitely a win- win for both municipalities,” Trujillo said.
While city officials breathed a sigh of relief, perhaps no one was as relieved as Arthur “A.J.” Johansen, Glendale’s former fire chief. Johansen and 17 other Glendale firefighters spent the past nine weeks undergoing rigorous training, instruction and testing in Denver’s fire academy for the chance to join the larger department – a caveat in the cities’ contract negotiations.
In the end, Glendale’s firefighters scored high on their final exams and met the academy’s physical requirements, even though several of them are in their 40s and 50s.
At 45, Johansen said he will be nervous about being a rookie firefighter again in the next few weeks.
“I’m a little bit nervous now; I don’t know how I’m going to be received in the firehouse,” Johansen said. “But it’s going to be fun to get back on a firetruck and fight some fire.”
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-820-1190 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
