Ballot measure asks Westminster voters for sales tax increase for fire stations, personnel

By Gabriela Vidal | CBS Colorado

When it comes to fighting fires, Westminster firefighter August Rasche says every second counts.

“A fire typically doubles in size every two minutes,” Rasche said. “The standard that we operate under is a four-minute response time.”

Rasche, who is also the executive board member for the Westminster Professional Firefighters Union (Local 2889), says this standard is becoming harder to meet as the city’s population keeps growing.

“In the last 20 years, Westminster has grown fire quite a bit. One thing that has not grown is the Westminster fire department. We have the same number of stations, the same number of ambulances, same number of engines as we had 20 years ago,” Rasche said.

READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO