The Fort Lewis Mesa Fire Protection District has had a turbulent year – a fact the Herald’s reporting has documented well (Herald, March 6). A new board, staff departures, volunteer losses, and public disagreements have shaken community trust in an institution that exists to protect lives.
I attempted to raise concerns through appropriate channels and was met with silence, leaving me no recourse but to file suit in La Plata County Court.
Court documents I have filed allege that Chief Chris Gibbons filed a complaint against former board President Emily Horvath with the Colorado Nursing Board as retaliation for questions raised about his credentials — not out of legitimate concern. I have text messages from the Chief that I believe support this claim. Questions about those credentials are not mine alone; they have been raised at public meetings and covered in this newspaper. I encourage residents to research them independently.
I contend that I too have been retaliated against for speaking out, suffering professionally and personally as a result. Despite repeated attempts to arrange retrieval of my personal belongings from a home we briefly shared, I have received only silence — a pattern of avoidance that mirrors the district's broader accountability failures.
I continue to hear privately from district residents who share these concerns but fear speaking out. Accountability should not depend on who someone is or what position they hold. It should be consistent, transparent and applied equally, every time.
The citizens of the Fort Lewis Mesa Fire Protection District deserve leadership that listens, oversight systems that respond, and standards that are upheld rather than ignored. Public safety is too important for anything less.
Ginger Ramsey
Durango
