North-West Fire Protection District protects an area of 184,970.35 acres or 289.02 square miles at an elevation of 9,500 feet and above that includes two communities, Fairplay, Colorado and Alma, Colorado, which we believe is the highest operational fire station in North America. Park County has numbered the fire districts, and North-West Fire is located in District 4.

The district experiences a 100 percent increase in population during the summer months due to second home population and events that are held within our district. Pike National Forest has some land included in our district as well. There are several large subdivisions with Wildland Urban Interface risks that adjoin the forest boundaries. There are two major highways that run through the district, including U.S. Highway 285 which is a designated military route.

Operations are performed out of 2 stations, one located in Fairplay and the other in Alma. The station in Fairplay is manned 24/7. From these stations, two Type 1 engines (E41, E42), two tactical water tenders (T41, T42), two standard water tenders (T43, one provided by CSFS), two Type 6 wildland engines (B42 & E426), one Type 3 wildland engine (E423), a ladder truck (Ladder 42), and a Haz-Mat unit respond to the needs of the district.