El Paso County voters passed a ballot measure for “proper” fire protection for the Security Fire Protection District Tuesday evening, early voting results showed.

The measure, a mill levy that will tax an additional 6.4 mills, or $45.76 annually per $100,000 of a resident’s property value, was passed by roughly 62% of El Paso County voters, according to early returns Tuesday evening.

Funds from the mill levy, which is expected to raise over $2.4 million in 2022, will be used to replace old equipment, hire new personnel and retain others looking to move on, and fund upcoming stations to improve the fire district’s response times and coverage area, which was recently expanded to include another 16,000 homes.

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In all, Girardin said in October the department was looking to hire a dozen new firefighters and emergency medical responders, and to replace at least two fire engines because much of their equipment was purchased in the 1990s and has reached or is nearing its expiration date.

“The ideal goal is to reduce response times. Get to your house quicker, safer and be able to help faster,” Girardin said in an October interview.

Girardin or other district officials who could comment on the measure did not return Tuesday calls and emails for comment.

Early returns also showed Teller County voters passed a measure bolstering the Four Mile Fire Protection District’s taxes, with results showing roughly 70% of voters agreeing to increase the existing mill levy of 5.953 by up to 4.7 mills, or $185,000 per year.

“We’ve turned our image around tremendously, and we’ve gained the support of our community back, and I’m beyond pleased,” Fire Chief Jay Teague said. “I’m completely overwhelmed and ecstatic.”

The additional taxes, Teague said, will be used to bolster the district’s staff by potentially hiring for a new command position and by purchasing protective equipment for volunteer firefighters.

The funds will also be used, Teague said, to restore aging resources like fire engines, as well as to improve the district’s operating power by renovating two of its stations.

The reason that’s needed, Fire Chief Jay Teague told The Gazette in October, is because the number of calls the district’s received has doubled over the last two years, requiring more volunteer firefighters, equipment to properly outfit them, and time to train them.

The district currently has over 60 volunteers, up from six at the start of 2020.