Douglas County broke ground Thursday, Oct. 29, on a $4.2 million hangar that will house the county's wildfire-fighting helicopter and crew full time.
The facility makes Douglas County the only county in Colorado operating its own helicopter and Helitack program, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. The Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved the construction contract on June 23, as first reported by FOX31 Denver.
The 10,000-square-foot building will include a 120-by-88-foot landing pad and a hangar door measuring 70 feet wide and 20 feet tall, according to a county press release. The facility will also hold space for security, maintenance, storage, offices and Helitack operations. Construction is expected to wrap up in 2027.
Commissioner Abe Laydon said the project reflects the county's wildfire risk.
"Douglas County is unique in having its own Helitack team, and this hangar will ensure those resources are protected and ready to respond at any time, in any weather," Laydon said in the press release. "For residents, that means we're preparing now for the moment a wildfire threatens their neighborhood, when every minute matters."
The hangar will sit next to a roadway training area used by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the Colorado Department of Transportation, according to FOX31. It represents the first phase of a larger Regional Joint Public Safety Training Center that will also include a joint training facility for law enforcement and wildfire response.
Mike Alexander, director of the Douglas County Office of Emergency Management, said the year-round wildfire threat drove the project.
"The threat of wildfire exists year-round, and this hangar ensures our firefighting helicopter will remain mission-ready and protected from the elements like wind, hail, lightning, ice, and snow," Alexander said.
Since 2018, the county's Helitack program has completed 394 flight missions, including 142 wildfire responses, according to the Sheriff's Office. The program supported responses to the Chatridge 1 and 2 fires, the Louviers/Airport Fire and the Penley Fire.
Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle, who lives in Douglas County, called the hangar "a commitment to that crew and to the families who depend on them when a fire threatens."
The hangar will shield the helicopter from severe weather and keep it ready for rapid deployment alongside ground firefighters, the Sheriff's Office stated. County leaders, public safety officials and first responders attended the Oct. 29 groundbreaking ceremony.
