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Committee Formed To Study State Wildfire Problems

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Aug 5, 2008 7:12 pm US/Mountain

Committee Formed To Study State Wildfire Problems

Reporting
Terry Jessup

DENVER (CBS4) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: A lightning strike is blamed for a wildfire on Green Mountain in Lakewood, Aug. 4, 2008. The fire burned 900 acres and threatened homes.
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Improving fire protection was the focus for a group of state lawmakers on Tuesday. They'll continue to meet to develop strategies for new communities springing up in fire-prone areas.

Fire experts were told there are about 300,000 homes in Colorado that are now vulnerable to grassland fires like the one on Green Mountain Tuesday. About one million people are potentially exposed to wildfires that can pop up at a moment's notice.

Lawmakers heard that Colorado's fire season is starting later and lasting longer; well into the fall because of extended drought conditions.

There have already been 767 fires this season; well above the 10-year average. More than 100,000 acres have burned.

The state forestry director, Jeff Jahnke, said most of the wildfires are in remote areas serviced by volunteer fire departments that are losing staff, especially younger firefighters.

"One of our most relied upon layers is the volunteer firefighter and we're reaching a point where we're going to lose them in big, big, big numbers," Jahnke said. "We're not seeing a lot of younger volunteer firefighters."

"I'm hoping that we'll be able to come up with recommendations where we'll be able to fight fires more efficiently," said Sen. Dan Gibbs, D-Silverthorne. "We'll be able to insure that volunteer crews and full-time crews have the same opportunities and apparatus and training that they need to be successful to fight those fires."

Colorado has already spent $1.3 million from their emergency fire fund this year and there is still five months left.

The lawmakers will meet again Wednesday and in the months to come to keep looking for creative solutions to the wildfire fighting challenges.

The committee also heard that one of the best things homeowners can do to protect their property is to remove fuel of any kind surrounding the house.

Wildfires

Learn more about how wildfires happen and what can be done to combat them once they do. Several links on cbs4denver.com's Wildfire Resources section also provide important information if a wildfire is threatening your community.

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