Local legacy: Aspen Fire Chief Rick Balentine retires after 36 years
Jake Andersen to succeed as fire chief
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Thirty-six years is a long time to work in one place.
But for outgoing Aspen Fire Protection District Chief Rick Balentine, who first started volunteering with the district in 1989, his tenure was more than a job — it came as part of a long legacy of fire chiefs committed to serving the community since the District was founded in 1881.
“Just being on that list of fire chiefs and fire officers going back to 1881,” Balentine said, “is something that will be with me for all my life.”
He saw his last day at the District on Friday after his decades-long service. He will be succeeded by Jake Andersen, who was previously Aspen Fire deputy chief of operations.
Originally from the Ohio and Chicago areas, Balentine moved to Aspen after serving a stint in the Navy as a young man. He joined the District after spending two years in town, which at the time was a requirement for those looking to volunteer.
He rose in the rankings from captain to chaplain to deputy chief. In 2013, he was elected as a volunteer chief by the District before he was hired as full-time chief and CEO by the District board in 2014.
He attributes his success to his mentors.
“I know it’s an old cliché,” he said, “but I literally stand on the shoulders of all that came before me.”
He added that working with the District team is one of the most rewarding parts about the job.
During his time in charge, Balentine took quick action to progress the District.
He increased the employee housing stock by tenfold from two units to what will soon be 22 units. He secured District finances to improve their operations, beginning with a 2018 mill levy increase — the first since the 1950s — and culminating in the current two proposed tax questions to maintain and increase District resources as wildfire severity trends upward.
Balentine helped found the Wildfire Collaborative Roaring Fork Valley, a valley-wide nonprofit committed to wildfire mitigation through education campaigns and large-scale forest projects.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with him in his role as fire chief and as a member of our Wildfire Collaborative board,” said Angie Davlyn, whom Balentine hired as executive director of the collaborative. “His belief in what’s possible is contagious — when you work with Rick, it feels like anything can be achieved.”
She added that Balentine’s leadership has brought wildfire resilience to the “forefront in Aspen, across the Roaring Fork Valley, and far beyond.”
With cofounder Ali Hammond, Balentine also formed the Aspen Wildfire Foundation, a nonprofit focused on the specific wildfire mitigation needs of the Aspen landscape.
Balentine has also carried a progressive approach to technology during his time at the helm. He helped the District become the first agency in the country to launch a Pano AI camera system, which detects and analyzes nearby signs of wildfire. The District is currently considering adding to their technological prowess by using AI-powered drones to fight fire.
Most recently, the District hosted the Aspen Wildfire Insurance Summit, where insurance executives from around the country – and as far as London — attended. Balentine said the goal of the summit was to educate insurance companies of the District’s evidence-based approach to fire mitigation, with the hopes of “moving the needle” on insurance — making it more available and affordable.
As Balentine moves on from Aspen Fire, he will continue to work with the Wildfire Collaborative Roaring Fork Valley, the Aspen Wildfire Foundation, and will serve on Colorado’s Wildfire Resiliency Code Board, which he is currently on.
He also has some “bigger picture” fire industry action he plans to take but can’t yet reveal details.
Most of all, during his departure, he wants to ensure that the district “keep(s) Aspen Fire, Aspen Fire.”
“Remember the legacy that Aspen Fire has over 140 years, and continue that legacy into the future,” Balentine said of his hopes for the District, adding, “Everyone from the 1800s until now, everyone who joins this department early on, learns that it’s about the community, not about them.”
Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.
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