Without an opponent to debate, State Sen. Ellen Roberts focussed on wildfire hazard issues at the La Plata/ Archuleta Cattlemen's candidate forum Monday evening.

She launched into that discussion after responding to a question from Upper Pine Fire Chief Bruce Evans on whether she would support a state income tax exemption for volunteer emergency responders, as is being done in Pennsylvania, to counter a huge shortage of volunteer responders. Many Colorado communities are dependent on volunteer responders.

Roberts said she would consider it. She cited the mountainsides of dead trees on Wolf Creek Pass and in many other parts of the state, and the large number of people living in high fire hazard areas referred to as the wildland-urban interface - WUI (pronounced woo-ee) for short. She noted her own house is in that category.

Even urban areas are at risk, she said, as shown by big wildfires on the Front Range, where 85 percent of the state population lives.

"If you value our outdoors, it's something we have to work on a strategy about. The forests are our headwaters," she said, so it's a water issue as well. "Everybody is at risk."

Roberts said she applauded Evans and all firefighters. "It's important for those of us who live in the WUI to ask what do we expect of our firefighters. I want no firefighter to risk his life for my house. We have some tough decisions coming up of what does it mean to live in the wildland-urban interface."

She also discussed water and oil and gas issues.

A task force convened by Gov. John Hickenlooper will work on gas issues as an alternative to competing pro- and anti-regulation ballot issues that were withdrawn from being on the November ballot.

Roberts said she is concerned about some already approved, but not yet implemented, laws that will affect oil and gas development.

"I'm skeptical that we need additional regulations...," she said. "Oil and gas revenue is critically important to our state." Loss of that money would affect state services, she said.

She said West Slope people are seen on the Front Range to have a chip on their shoulder about water. "Between the Front Range (West Slope water diversions) and (prospects for a) compact call down stream, there's a very good reason we have a chip on our shoulder. It's important for everybody to be engaged in this discussion. We don't have the population to go up against California" if they try to claim more Colorado water for their drought issues.