With the arrival of summer comes the reminder that a pronounced wildfire season across the West is swiftly approaching.
In La Plata County, fire departments, utility providers, and county, state and federal agencies have been coordinating with one another to prepare. That is why they are feeling well-equipped to respond should a blaze break out.
Rob Farino, director of the La Plata County Office of Emergency Management, said his office and the county’s emergency responders are well aware of the challenges faced by the heightened likelihood of fire, brought on by recent low-snow winters and hotter, dryer summers.
“We are coming off two really dry winters, and we’re one really windy day away from a really bad day, so we’re holding our breath and hoping that doesn’t happen,” Farino said. “But I think we’re all feeling optimistic. We are in the business of preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.”
National Forest Service spokeswoman Lorena Williams said part of that optimism comes from the fact that Southwest Colorado’s peak wildfire season typically lasts from May to July. That is earlier than other parts of the country; the Pacific Northwest, for examples, usually enters its peak danger period in July.
“We tend to not have to compete for national resources quite as much as we would if we were having fires in late August,” Williams said.
Of course, wildfires have flared up in August. But she said local firefighters should have the federal resources they need as Southwest Colorado moves into its peak wildfire season.
Williams said there is a multiagency group – called the Durango Zone Board – that meets weekly to assess the appropriate response to wildfire risk. The board follows the Durango Fire Business Calculator, which brings in drought, weather and fuels data, in addition to calculating the values that could be in danger.
“That group assigns fire resources accordingly,” Williams said. “It’s also the group that determines when fire restrictions might be implemented based on scientific data.”
Those agencies include federal entities like the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management, state partners like the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, local fire protection districts, La Plata County’s government and utility providers like La Plata County Electric Association.
Williams said that multiple agencies across jurisdictions will coordinate to share resources and personnel to make sure they have what they need to respond in the event of a wildfire.
“We are not all operating independently,” she said. “We coordinate (on) all levels of firefighting, from basic training to leadership and decision-making.”
Additionally, fire departments throughout La Plata County have fully staffed their wildland fire crews for the summer, and have even brought on crews earlier or hired more personnel ahead of the summer.
Upper Pine River Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Greg French said his department had hired on a six-person seasonal wildland fire crew, who is currently contracted to the Forest Service. On top of that, each firefighter at Upper Pine is certified in both wildland and structure firefighting, and that each of the department’s three stations have a brush rig and a wildland engine.
French said interagency collaboration is an asset in itself.
“We have to (work together), because we’re fairly small departments,” French said. “We all lean on each other and share a lot of information.”
Scott Nielsen, Durango Fire Protection District’s wildfire battalion chief, agreed, saying this level of cooperation is uncommon. DFPD brought on 20 wildland firefighters back in March. And, like each of the firefighting entities in the county, Nielsen said DFPD shares resources with other departments to respond to a fire.
“This is a pretty unusual place (because of) how well people collaborate and work together here,” he said.
Additionally, the Durango-La Plata County Air Tanker Base, where firefighting aircraft are stationed, has officially opened for the season.
Williams said there will be wildfires this season; they often start naturally by things like lightning strikes. It’s up to people to avoid adding to the danger.
“We know we’re going to have fires,” Farino said. “So let’s just keep them small. Let’s mitigate the risk.”
Residents and summer visitors obeying fire restrictions, performing home fuels mitigation and fully extinguishing unattended campfires are all ways to avoid starting wildfires, which is an equally crucial part of the preparation for fire season.
Williams said that because most human-caused wildfires start on roads before moving into forestland, securing trailer chains, installing spark arrestors and not welding or grinding over flammable material is important. Additionally, mowing lawns during high-humidity periods – like early in the morning – and always having a fire extinguisher on-hand can further reduce risk.
Farino said having a go-bag and keeping crucial paperwork – such as insurance, health and monetary records – easily accessible in the event of an evacuation can help residents stay prepared.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
