By Sharla Steinman
Loveland Reporter-Herald
LOVELAND, Colo. — Loveland Fire Chief Tim Sendelbach has been on leave for 44 days.
During a special meeting Wednesday morning, the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority Board scheduled another special meeting for 2 p.m. Thursday to make a final decision terminating the chief.
City Council member Andrea Samson, who also serves on the LFRA Board, made a unanimously approved motion for the personnel committee, made up of Chairman Jeff Swanty and City Manager Jim Thompson, to work with legal counsel to prepare a final decision terminating the fire chief’s employment with LFRA.
The full board will consider the decision to terminate at 2 p.m. Thursday in a virtual meeting. The agenda and link to the meeting can be viewed at https://lfra.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03122026-239.
In an interview after the meeting, Sendelbach said he was surprised and disappointed to hear the board approve Samson’s motion.
“If that’s the direction they continue with, I think it’s obvious I am very disappointed,” Sendelbach said, adding that leaving the impromptu meeting with the board, he didn’t have “positive feelings.”
Sendelbach said he was probably just as surprised as the public was to hear that the board wanted to meet with him to discuss one more time. He said Swanty texted him during the meeting and asked, “How soon can you come to city hall?”
The fire chief said he didn’t know what the conversation would be about prior to the meeting and didn’t disclose any details about their discussion.
Sendelbach said that over the last 44 days, he has been tuning into each meeting and has remained at home in Loveland. He added that it was troubling to him that such a major decision could take this long.
“I’m on administrative leave as far as I’m concerned and I’m the fire chief until proven otherwise,” Sendelbach said. “I haven’t left town, people are asking me, ‘Are you traveling?’ No. I’m here, I am the fire chief and I have a duty to be responsive if necessary.”
He was placed on administrative leave Jan. 28, and since then, the LFRA has held several special meetings to discuss the personnel matter. The board unanimously approved sending Sendelbach a notice of intent to terminate, which included the board’s reasons for pursuing termination.
Although the board hasn’t publicly stated its reasons for pursuing termination and refused to answer questions about what it has called a confidential personnel matter, the Reporter-Herald was able to obtain the board’s notice to Sendelbach through an open records request. In the notice, the board wrote that Sendelbach lacked transparency and shared misleading information.
Sendelbach disputed the board’s claims in a 40-page response letter, which the Reporter-Herald obtained through the city’s system for viewing public emails, Global Relay.
After board members met with legal counsel for two hours Wednesday morning in a closed executive session, Loveland Mayor Pat McFall said he would feel more comfortable proceeding with a final decision after another discussion with Sendelbach.
Board members unanimously agreed. After an hour-long break in the board’s special meeting, Sendelbach arrived at the Civic Center in Loveland to discuss with the board in a closed executive session, which lasted about an hour.
When the board returned to public session, McFall acknowledged Sendelbach’s accomplishments with the department, and said it was clear the chief had earned the respect of Loveland’s community and firefighters.
The mayor also said that he has listened to community discussion about the fire chief, and added that the discussion has been based on only what has been made available to the public because the board’s internal discussions have been held in closed executive session in compliance with state law.
“Because of that the public does not have access to every piece of the conversation or evaluation that the board is looking at, and that we’ve had to look at, when making decisions like this,” McFall said.
He continued on to say that fire chiefs should be strong leaders who can advocate for the department while collaborating with the other organizations a fire department deals with.
“The question I had to answer for myself was whether the executive working relationship necessary for this authority to function effectively is realistically repairable,” McFall said.
He finished his speech by saying that regardless of the outcome of the decision to terminate, his commitment to support the department will remain the same.
Samson said she was heavily considering the future of the department in her decision to terminate, and thanked the board, Sendelbach and the community for their engagement over the six weeks.
“I hope that as we move forward we can continue to exhibit that passion and that we can work together,” Samson said. “We have to. We have a community to serve.”
The meeting ended with Samson’s unanimously approved motion for the board to consider a final decision terminating the chief’s contract, which will be created by the personnel committee, Swanty and Thompson, and legal staff.
The entire board will consider the final decision to terminate Sendelbach at 2 p.m. Thursday.
Over the last six weeks, firefighters and community members have created petitions, spoke out during public comment, and held rallies to support the fire chief.
Rural district resident Tracey Powell said she and other concerned rural residents are planning on starting the recall process for Loveland Rural Fire Protection Board members Swanty and Paul Bukowski, who also serve on the LFRA Board. The recall process begins with gathering signatures, she said.
Powell added that someone from their group will also request that Samson and McFall be replaced by different City Council members during the council’s meeting next month.
We want new people. We have no confidence in them,” Powell said. ” … I never cared about politics, this was not my thing, but to see somebody being disgraced like this is so heartbreaking to me because I know that he is a good person and I know what he has accomplished.
Last week before the board met with Sendelbach to discuss its reasons, around 60 residents and firefighters stood in front of Fire Station 1 in the rain, cheering for the chief as he arrived. During the rally, Lt. Tyler Austin told the Reporter-Herald that an internal petition to reinstate the chief had received signatures from over 85% of LFRA staff.
Rally supports Fire Chief Tim Sendelbach ahead of discussion with Loveland authority board
A citizen petition declaring no confidence in the LFRA board and calling to reinstate Sendelbach has received over 1,300 signatures. Supporters also raised over $5,500 on GoFundMe for Sendelbach’s legal counsel.
Over 20 current and retired fire service leaders from across the United States wrote and sent to the board a joint letter in support of Sendelbach, which was obtained by the Reporter-Herald on Global Relay.
“When a five-member governing body reaches a conclusion that differs from the perspective of nationally recognized fire service leaders, it warrants careful consideration and reflection,” the joint letter stated. “Leadership carries authority, but it also carries the responsibility to recognize the limits of one’s perspective and to ensure that decisions of consequence are aligned with sound professional judgment.”
Several local public officials have also made their support for Sendelbach clear, including former Loveland Mayor Jacki Marsh and former City Council member Jon Mallo, who worked alongside the chief as former LFRA board members.
During Wednesday’s meeting, community members stood outside city hall and greeted the fire chief as he arrived for the impromptu meeting.
Sendelbach has served as Loveland’s fire chief since October 2021 and has been involved with the fire service since 1985.
Tim Sendelbach officially sworn in as Loveland fire chief; ‘It took 35 years. I’m here.’
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