LOVELAND, Colo. — Loveland Fire Rescue Authority Fire Chief Tim Sendelbach is sending a message of gratitude to the Loveland community and his broader fire service family for their support amid a battle with the LFRA board.
The board placed Sendelbach on administrative leave two weeks ago, then voted Monday in a special meeting to advance the chief’s termination process. The move followed widespread support for the chief voiced during the public comment portion of the meeting — support Sendelbach described as humbling.
“The members of LFRA and this community have given me something money can’t buy — their trust — and there’s no greater motivation to stay the course,” he said, adding that he’s committed to working towards a solution going forward. “While the focus is on me right now, the support is equally focused on the goal we’ve set as an organization, to take care of our people and to secure financial stability.”
Approximately 300 individuals called into the virtual meeting and were given the opportunity to weigh in on Sendelbach’s future with the LFRA during a 45-minute public comment period. Of the 15 who were called upon to speak, each voiced support for Sendelbach, who has been with LFRA since 2021.
| Watch the meeting here:
Labor response
Craig Willard, president of Local 3566 representing Loveland firefighters, used his allotted time to issue a formal vote of no confidence in the LFRA board, which is posted on Facebook: “This action is in regard to recent governance and fiscal decisions that have been placed on the organization, its workforce, and the citizens we serve, placing them at increasing risk. The Loveland Fire Rescue Authority Board’s recent actions, most notably the placement of Fire Chief Tim Sendelbach on Administrative Leave, in a confidential manner, cannot be viewed in isolation. Rather, they are part of a broader series of decisions that have destabilized Loveland Fire Rescue Authority and undermined its ability to operate as a modern, effective, and financially sustainable fire department.”
Willard also raised concerns about budget reductions, an outdated city-rural funding model and surplus rural district funds not fully made available for operations, staffing and firefighter safety. He urged the board to reinstate the chief, pursue a unified fire district, and better align funding with operational realities.
| Read next: Colo. firefighters unite in no-confidence letter to board to signal support for fire chief
Community response
Multiple speakers criticized what they deemed to be a lack of transparency in the administrative leave process, as the board has not stated why Sendelbach was placed on leave. The board has asserted that it cannot publicly discuss a personnel matter. That lack of clarity framed much of the public comments, with several speakers warning that it has eroded trust and could damage the authority’s reputation, particularly given Sendelbach’s national profile.
Sendelbach is a well-known figure in the fire service due, in part, to his previous work as editor of fire service trade publications and current affiliation with numerous fire service organizations, including FireRescue1, for which he serves on the Editorial Advisory Board.
Still, most of the individuals who spoke during the meeting hailed from the Loveland area.
Stephanie Lane, a longtime Loveland resident, criticized the board for limiting public comment time and voiced concern that the process appeared predetermined.
“I would like to know the process to recall the board because you are hurting our reputation,” Lane said. “You are causing an eyesore for Loveland nationally …. stop wasting everybody’s money and our taxpayers’ time.” She added, “Chief Sendelbach, if they don’t reinstate you, please lawyer up and go for the jugular.”
Other residents cited Sendelbach’s efforts to protect the community.
Lisa Coalwell, Pinewood Reservoir resident, credited Sendelbach with personally engaging residents on wildfire mitigation, evacuation planning and wildfire risk education. She said the chief and his crews worked directly with homeowners on mitigation projects, improved evacuation options and kept residents informed throughout the authority’s inclusion process.
“Chief Tim Sendelbach has helped many of us learn more about living safely in the wildland-urban interface in the time he has been here more than anyone else in the past three decades,” she said.
Member response
LFRA firefighters voiced their own concerns about the board’s decision to sideline Sendelbach.
Firefighter Gina Gonzalez spoke to the membership’s support of their chief: “Firefighters inherently are problem-solvers. Our entire purpose in life is to solve problems. And when we have little or no information, it feels like one of us is at risk. I hope you can understand our responses as a family when it feels like once an attack on one of us, it’s an attack on all of us.”
Lt. Zach Cain urged the board to focus on process and long-term impact rather than emotion as it considers the chief’s future. He said the organization has consistently made forward progress over the past several years and warned, “If this decision is handled with emotions and personal feelings and haste, our only option is a step backwards.” Cain also recommended using an independent, third-party entity to conduct any investigation to help preserve trust and stability.
Local and national support
Michael Duncan, the mayor of Johnstown, Colorado, stressed that administrative leave is a procedural step, not a finding of wrongdoing, and urged the board to consider Sendelbach’s full record of service, workforce confidence, and the potential impacts on morale, retention and operational stability.
“Fire agencies are built on trust between leaders, firefighters and the communities they serve,” Duncan said. “Disrupting this trust without clear, substantiated cause has real consequences …. Decisions that are made in haste can cost an organization years to recover.”
Rob Nielson, CEO and founder of All American Leadership, who spoke toward the end of the comment period, highlighted how the support Sendelbach has received from the community and from within his own department speaks volumes: “It is simply not heard of in the fire service to have that kind of support from the rank and file within one’s own department. Votes of no confidence are always levied against the chief, not in support. And what’s more amazing, it wasn’t ordered, it wasn’t coerced, it emerged naturally.”
After hearing the public comments, Sendelbach reflected on the support in the broader context of his career: “I’ve been fortunate to serve in various roles over the course of my career, and what this experience brings forth is that there’s a ripple effect of your work, your commitment and your passion far beyond what you know. I’m grateful beyond words for the support the community has shown me over the past two weeks.”
Board defends decisions, moves forward
After public comment concluded, the board turned back to its agenda and voted to ratify the personnel committee’s previous decision to place Sendelbach on administrative leave. The board then entered a closed executive session where they received legal advice regarding the matter.
Upon return, Loveland City Council Member Andrea Samson, who also serves on the agency’s board, acknowledged public frustration with the lack of transparency but said it intends to share details as soon as it is appropriate to do so.
“There’s no secret to why the board’s taking this path; it’s because this is our protocol and this is the procedure,” Samson said.
Sendelbach, however, has disputed the board’s handling of the situation, noting that the LFRA board gave him the choice last week of resigning or facing the termination process. He refused to resign, stressing that he still doesn’t know what he’s been accused of that could warrant termination.
“I would not let this community or firefighters put their name out there on my behalf if I felt like there was something that was going to embarrass this organization or this community,” Sendelbach told the Loveland Reporter-Herald. “… There’s no justifiable cause that I can possibly think of, aside the fact that [we have] two different personalities.”
The next board meeting is set for Thursday. Following that meeting, Sendelbach may be invited to address the board in a closed executive session, after which the board would take a public vote on his termination.
