Madrid Volunteer Fire District
In the earliest days of Madrid dynamite was the fire suppression method of choice. No attempt was made to actually put out a fire—water was too precious. The fuels ahead of the fire were eliminated and the fire burned itself out. Today's Fire Department has its beginnings in 1980 and in 1984 when the County and State formally recognized the Department. In 1994 the current station was constructed; since then two Class A pumper-tankers were added as well as a fully equipped brush truck and a rescue unit. Years of collaborative effort went into developing a hydrant system, which included turning an old mining cistern into a 100,000-gallon water storage cistern for fire suppression and placing a hydrant within 1000 feet of every residence in town.
Insurance Services Organization (ISO) Rating for the Madrid Volunteer Fire District (5/8B):ISO collects information (such as nearest water supply, fire station, station staffing, paid or volunteer, number of personnel, number and type of fire trucks, pumping capacity, etc.) on municipal fire-protection efforts in communities throughout the United States. Based on the information a numerical rating is given to the area which is used by insurance companies to determine premiums. The Santa Fe County Fire Department is set up to meet/exceed the NFPA 1231 Water Supplies for Suburban and Rural Firefighting requirement of 250 gallons of water per minute for 2 hours. Because of this, there is currently, not a district in the County that has a class 10 rating. Lower ISO ratings apply to specific areas and subdivisions in the district with a hydranted water supply or inspected water source within 1,000 feet of a residence or 500 feet of a commercial business. Higher ISO ratings apply district wide where there are no hydrants or inspected water sources within 1,000 feet of a residence or 500 feet of a commercial business.
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The Madrid Fire District is situated in west central Santa Fe County and is responsible for providing fire and emergency medical services to the communities of Madrid, Golden and the surrounding area. One station located at #31 Firehouse Rd, close to the Mineshaft Tavern serves these communities. The district assists and receives aid from other agencies including, NM State Forestry, US Forest Service as well as several other Santa Fe County Districts.