Understanding Our Loveland Fire Rescue Two-Board System

3-25-26 (updated 4-27-26): Posted by Lisa Coalwell

The Loveland Fire Rescue Authority has two governing boards:

The "Rural" Board

The Loveland Rural Fire Protection District Board (LRFPD) handles tax money collected from rural residents for the fire department (the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority). This map shows how large the rural tax base is (pink areas are in the city, all other colored areas are designated as rural):

Under an intergovernmental agreement, the Rural board pays 20 percent of the fire department's annual budget, while the city pays the remaining 80 percent. Two of the members of the Rural board serve as representatives on the Authority board.

The five-member Rural board has hired a district manager outside of the Authority who is employed by Public Alliance, a Denver-based company. Recently, all communication between the rural residents and the Rural board members has gone through this district manager, Dominique Devaney. dominique@publicalliancellc.com

The "Authority" Board

The Loveland Fire Rescue Authority (LFRA) board was created in 2012 when the Rural District and the City of Loveland joined together to create a joint firefighting entity. This fire authority serves both the city and rural areas, and is governed by a five-member board made up of two representatives from the Rural board, the Loveland City Manager, and two city councilors (currently, one of those positions is held by the Loveland City Mayor).

According to Devaney, the Authority Board also "is the agency responsible for employment and personnel management matters."

Two Board Set-Up

According to the LFRA.org website, this is how the two-board system is set up:

The Fire Authority is responsible for all fire and emergency services within the boundaries of the Loveland Rural Fire Protection District and the City of Loveland. Effective January 1, 2016, the City transferred the Loveland and Fire Rescue Department personnel to the Fire Authority. Effective January 1, 2017, the City and the Rural District leased its fire stations and transferred its apparatus and equipment to the Fire Authority.

Funding for the Fire Authority comes from both the City of Loveland and the Loveland Rural Fire Protection District. The City is responsible for 80% of the expenses and the Rural District is responsible for 20% of the expenses.

Emergency operations of the Fire Authority within the Rural District remain similar to the operations prior to the formation of the Fire Authority.