Colorado: Governor Allocates $2 Million for Wildfire Preparedness

Gov. Bill Owens received reports from multiple state and federal agencies on Wednesday, April 19 concerning the state's readiness to cope with wildfires during a fire season expected by many to be much more active than usual.

"Wildfires this year have already burned three times the acreage that was reported burned in all of 2005," Owens said. "We're here today to let Coloradans know we will do everything possible to protect our environment and our communities, but we need their help as well."

At the governor's annual fire briefing, Owens signed an Executive Order allocating $2 million to fund wildfire preparedness efforts around the state. This is in addition to $358,000 authorized by the governor for wildfires in February.

With the funds, the state will have three single engine air tankers under contract during the fire season. The tankers will be used for critical first strikes, positioned around the state wherever fire danger is highest. The state also will have ten fire engines positioned throughout the so-called Red Zones, the wildland-urban interface areas where dwellings are especially vulnerable.

"Positioning our resources in the most critical areas has been a highly successful strategy in recent years," Owens said. "The state Forest Service reports that 98 percent of the wildfires last year were contained at less than 100 acres."

Again this year, the state will have helicopters available from the Colorado National Guard and inmate crews from the Colorado Department of Corrections.

The $2 million comes from the state's Disaster Emergency Fund. Owens said that if additional money for wildfires is necessary during the summer, the state will find the necessary funds. However, the governor also urged the state legislature to provide a permanent source of wildfire funding.

"The primary purpose of the state's Disaster Emergency Fund is to respond to unforeseen events and not wildfires which, unfortunately, are a fact of life in Colorado. Relying on the disaster fund for wildfire prevention could jeopardize our response to other emergencies. Establishing the Wildfire Preparedness Fund will provide a much needed stability for our firefighting efforts," Owens said.

The Wildfire Preparedness Fund would be created by Senate Bill 96, sponsored by Sen. Jack Taylor (R-Steamboat Springs). The bill also would allow the state to enter into a multi-state forest fire compact, allowing Colorado to both assist and be assisted by other states when fires occur.

So far this year, wildfires have charred more than 42,000 acres on state and private land in Colorado. During all of 2005, a reported 2,014 wildfires burned just 14,446 acres on those lands.

"The warning signs are there," Owens said. "Fire experts are predicting a warmer than normal summer with less than average precipitation. The experts are especially concerned with areas east of the Continental Divide, including the front range and the southern third of our state. Thousands of firefighters will be on the lines again this summer and we owe it to them to be extremely careful with fire wherever we travel."

Agencies participating in the annual wildfire preparedness briefing for the governor include the State Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the state Division of Emergency Management and the Colorado National Guard.

Source: Colorado Office of the Governor news release

Posted: Thursday, April 20, 2006 12:00:00 AM. Modified: Thursday, April 20, 2006 10:31:10 AM.

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