The national database of state and local wildfire hazard mitigation programs
serves as a clearinghouse of information about nonfederal policies and
programs that seek to reduce the risk of loss of life and property through
the reduction of hazardous fuels on private lands. If
you would like to submit a program to the national wildfire programs database,
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Title: |
Southwest Colorado Fire Information Clearinghouse
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Type: |
Education
Community Planning
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Jurisdiction: |
State
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State: |
Colorado
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Program Description: |
Background
In 2002, the Missionary Ridge fire in Southwestern Colorado, near Durango, burned 73,000 acres and destroyed 56 homes. This was the largest fire in the history of the Durango area, and it provided a wake-up call to the residents in five counties that they needed to protect themselves from wildfire. A consortium of organizations came together to educate the public and to provide assistance in recovery and wildfire risk mitigation, including: USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Forest Service, San Juan Mountain Association, Office of Community Services at Fort Lewis College, Archuleta County, Dolores County, La Plata County, Montezuma County, and San Juan County. Since over 50% of the land in the five county region is owned and managed by federal or state agencies, these public bodies acted as good neighbors, organizing public meetings to educate residents of the adjacent communities about ways to reduce losses from wildfire, and involving them in the planning process.
Fire Information Website
An informational website was created and is called the Southwest Colorado Fire Information Clearinghouse. The website is sponsored by the San Juan Public Lands Center, the Colorado State Forest Service and the Office of Community Services at Fort Lewis College. The articles provide information regarding the prevention of wildfires, ways to reduce losses, and rehabilitation and recovery efforts following wildfires. The website is a "one-stop shopping" site for social, economic, and resource recovery information specific to the five county southwest Colorado region.
The Prevention section offers a wealth of information including links to many online resources for defensible space, and slash disposal information. The Community Wildfire Information Series includes numerous articles on recent accomplishments in local wildfire mitigation including: the completion of wildfire hazard maps by the counties, enforcement of regulations for new subdivisions in Montezuma County, success in reducing losses from a fire in Mesa Verde National Park following a thinning project, and much more. Grant applications for cost-share money are available on a website. The Prevention section also contains the texts of the five County Fire Plans.
The section on Pests educates homeowners about treating trees for bark beetle infestations, and resulting pinon pine mortality. Other sections include Rehab, which provides articles on the rehabilitation efforts underway at the Missionary Ridge Fire site; and Help, which lists governmental agencies and political representatives with phone numbers, and resources for businesses or homeowners who have suffered losses from fires.
Public Education
"Fire & Fuels,", a publication available on the web, was printed as an insert in the Durango area newspapers. The insert appeared in mid-June, 2003 in the Cortez Journal, Durango Herald, and the Pagosa Sun, with a combined distribution to 26,000 people. An additional 4,000 inserts were made available at meetings, county fairs, and at front desks. Fire & Fuels was prepared by the San Juan Lands Center, an office of the Forest Service and BLM. The publication features articles on wildfire specific to the Southwestern Colorado environment.
The lead article, "Making Southwest Colorado a Safer Place to Live", discusses the lessons learned from the Missionary Ridge Fire, and encourages homeowners to do their part to reduce fuels around their homes. An article on the National Fire Plan (NFP) discusses the preparedness of the five counties for wildfire and on-going NFP funded activities in the region. "Community Fire Plans Created" discusses the development of the County Fire Plans by the Forest Service, BLM, CSFS, and the Office of Community Services at Fort Lewis College, working with local fire managers and interested citizens. These plans delineate areas of high wildfire risk and list recommended actions to reduce wildfire risk protecting important community resources and homes.
Other valuable articles in the Fire & Fuels insert include "It's All In the Prescription", which describes mechanical and prescribed fire thinning procedures and how they are used by foresters to reduce fuels in the Southwest Colorado landscape. "Wildland Fire Use" and "When Lightning Strikes" describe natural wildfire occurrences due to lightning, situations where they might be allowed to burn, and the technology used by BLM to monitor storms in the area and alert fire departments, if necessary. "Beetles. Beetles, and More Beetles" describes the problem of tree mortality due to western pine beetles, leading to excessive fuel loads in the nearby forests. "Missionary Ridge Rehabilitation" discusses the Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation efforts that are being used in the areas affected by the Missionary Ridge Fire. "Hotshot Crew Earns Certification" introduces the new local hotshot crew to the community. "What are you Waiting For?" lays out the basics of creating and maintaining defensible space for homeowners.
Fire Prevention Month
April was Fire Prevention month. A collaboration of agencies offered tours to demonstration sites in three counties, showed the "After the Fire" video several times, hosted a National Firewise Workshop attended by over 100 people, and manned fire prevention booths at home shows.
"After the Fire" Video
"After the Fire" was produced by the Durango Community Access Television Station, the Office of Community Services and La Plata County following the 2002 Missionary Ridge Fire. It provides a short history of the fire and discusses flooding issues and other safety concerns. It presents a good argument for homeowners to create and maintain defensible space. About 800 videos have been given away locally, and the video has been very well received. The Office of Community Services is working on a new video with funding from National Fire Plan. The video will focus on the process of creating defensible space from start to finish. When finished, the video will be available free to the public.
Contact Information
For more information, you may contact Tim Richard -- 970-247-7066, Fort Lewis College, Office of Community Services, or via email at [email protected], and Pam Wilson -- 970-385-1230, Fire Information Officer for the San Juan Public Lands Center, or via email at [email protected].
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