October 30, 2026 | Makenzie Kellar

The CSD Pool has had the honor of recognizing countless special districts over the years, many of which employed hundreds of people and managed large-scale operations with teams of dedicated risk management personnel. 

However, our winner for the 2026 District of the Year Award proves that greatness doesn’t come from a district’s size, but from their dedication to safety and their community. 

Beulah Fire Protection and Ambulance District provides emergency services for 111 square miles in and around Beulah, Colorado. The district not only serves the 2,400 people who call Beulah their home, but also 13,000 tourists who visit its forest and hiking trails every year.  

And they do it all with a team of only four full-time firefighters and seven volunteers. 

Community Outreach 

While it would be completely understandable for a district with such a small staff to focus solely on their essential operations, Beulah Fire Protection and Ambulance District also prioritizes education and outreach efforts in their community. 

They conduct CPR and first aid trainings, fire extinguisher trainings, and basic EMT certifications at reduced prices for Beulah residents. Additionally, the district provides free residential home inspections to help identify and remove fire hazards. Not only that—they offer blood pressure checks and use their Facebook page to distribute additional resources such as free firewood, sandbags, bottled water, livestock feed, clean up kits, and even host an on-site pet vaccine clinic through their partners at Pikes Peak Region Humane Society.  

If there’s a need, Beulah Fire Protection and Ambulance District does what it can to fill it. 

Safety Program 

While the district’s deep care for their community was part of what caught the CSD Pool’s attention when selecting our Safest District of the Year, there was one factor that really made them stand out among our staff. 

"Even though they're a smaller volunteer district — they have still carved out their very limited time to make sure safety and risk management were a key part of what they're teaching their folks” stated Kyle Brown, Senior Risk Consultant for the CSD Pool. 

When pressed further, Kyle explained that he had been asked to conduct a CDOT Flagger Training for the district, and that they were one of the first fire districts to request the training. Despite being a volunteer department with staff time being a valuable resource, Beulah Fire Protection and Ambulance District made time to participate in three training slots to make sure the entire staff had the opportunity to train. Kyle noted that during each training, the chief or assistant chief was there to introduce him to the team and make sure everyone understood just how important these safety trainings were. 

"That is not necessarily a mindset we see in a lot of volunteer districts, but it was really refreshing,” he said. 

During one of these trainings, the district received a call and had to respond to an active fire. While many others would have considered such an important interruption a sign to call it quits for the night, the team left to deal with the fire, came back about 20 minutes later when the situation was resolved, and finished the safety training. Not only that, they were interested and active participants in the training, pointing out when standard CDOT procedures wouldn’t apply to their situation and brainstorming how they, and other fire districts, could bridge that gap.  

Recognizing the Small Moments  

This last summer has not been an easy one for the district. The Aspen Acres Fire, which started in June and resulted in 102,000 acres burned and over 850 structures destroyed, put the Beulah Fire team to the test. For a small community like Beulah, a mass catastrophe like this was devastating for both the community at large and the district specifically. And yet, they handled it with a level of courage and steadfastness few could hope to match. News outlets like Pueblo County News and the Colorado Sun among others have already reported the team’s bravery and their determination to help their neighbors while their own homes burned.  

While their dedication to their work in the midst of this tragedy is certainly worth recognizing, it is not the reason the CSD Pool chose them for this award. The CSD Pool has seen Beulah Fire Protection and Ambulance District put their all into serving their community and prioritizing safety, even on the days that don’t make the papers. This is a district that goes above and beyond for their team every day, which is why we are proud to call them our 2026 Safest District of the Year.