Western Colorado communities are working to establish proactive emergency management plans conducive with the arid landscape. In recent years, significant wildfires have changed the conversation around both forest management and the risk fires pose to communities. In-town residents have seen fire breaks cut into the brush and forests on hillsides near their neighborhoods. Emergency managers for counties and cities have been progressively collaborating on ways to educate the public and establish evacuation plans and resources.
In late January, the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District (CRFPD) hosted an emergency preparedness meeting at its fire station. Around 30 citizens attended the meeting to learn about emergency alert apps, evacuation order procedures and road closure processes during wildfires. All of these steps are crucial during active emergencies, when easy-to-follow systems can make a world of difference.
Much emergency preparation occurs in advance, before active and pressing threats. Local leaders have been working on these aspects as well. On Jan. 27, the Middle Colorado Watershed Council (MCWC) released its new Wildfire Ready Action Plan to the public. Over 30 agencies were involved in the action plan, which has been in development for several years in response to Colorado’s devastating wildfires. MCWC Board President Doug Winter spoke to the importance and timeliness of the plan.
“This is a major milestone in our efforts to strengthen regional resilience against wildfires and their aftermath. The recent wildfires in Southern California highlight the urgent need for this work,” he said. “The Wildfire Ready Action Plan provides a powerful tool to proactively address wildfire risks to keep our communities safe.”
The action plan focuses on both precautionary fire mitigation steps and post-fire actions to reduce risk of mudslides, flooding and other secondary disasters. According to MCWC, participating agencies consider the action plan as an early milestone in long-term work to minimize wildfire damage to infrastructure and better adapt to an unpredictable climate.
The full 366-page plan is thorough with concise guidance for preventative action, and includes specific sections for tributary watersheds along the I-70 corridor west of Glenwood Springs.
A major step regional stakeholders have been discussing is the coordination of emergency warning systems. Many of the communities in the Roaring Fork Valley and I-70 corridor currently use different, non-compatible or redundant phone alert systems. Emergency planners are discussing how to align these applications. They are also discussing offline means to provide people with easy-to-find contact information, such as fridge magnets.
Another priority is advanced planning for evacuating non-driving residents, including noting where those community members live.
When CRWC launched the action plan, they also announced next steps. This year, they intend to hire an education and outreach coordinator. That position will be responsible for managing local mitigation work, such as establishing fuel breaks and fire gaps through vegetation reduction within neighborhoods. That coordinator will help implement the Wildfire Ready Action Plan on a local level.
In the Roaring Fork Valley, CRFPD is working with the Red Cross and Sopris Lodge Senior Living on additional emergency preparedness informational sessions. The next event will be in April, with the exact date to be announced, at Sopris Lodge in Carbondale. The organizers plan to make a recording of that meeting available for residents unable to be there in person. Remember, the best preparation for emergencies is establishing a simple evacuation plan ahead of time and taking preventative measures to protect your neighborhood.
For more on the Wildfire Ready Action Plan, and to review the document, visit www.midcowatershed.org/wrap For online resources about wildfire mitigation and developing a home emergency evacuation plan, visit www.carbondalefire.org/community-education. The CRFPD web page includes guidance on how to plan a mitigation burn with fire agency oversight, educational resources for adults and children and detailed safety tips for both wildfires and floods. Roaring Fork Fire Rescue’s website (www.roaringforkfire.gov) has convenient lists of relevant emergency phone numbers in the area and quicklinks to Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield County emergency alerts.