Wildfire – The Durango Herald

Western wildfires force evacuations in Arizona, California

Smoke from blaze near Flagstaff causes hazy skies in Colorado

DATE: Jun 13, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Durango Air Tanker Base to undergo renovations

San Juan National Forest will invest more than $1 million to keep the critical firefighting resource up to date

DATE: Jun 9, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Experts call on federal government to mitigate drought, wildfires

Sen. Bennet says there’s a ‘five-alarm crisis for the American West’

DATE: Jun 7, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Residents impacted by wildfires could get help with food

ALBUQUERQUE – Thousands of New Mexico residents who have been impacted by wildfires this spring may be eligible for temporary food assistance. The state Human Services Department said applic...

DATE: Jun 7, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

New law requires speedier post-wildfire homeowners insurance payouts

HB-1111 requires insurers to pay disaster victims at least 65% of their lost home’s covered contents within 30 days

DATE: Jun 6, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Can we replace fire with mechanical thinning in Southwest Colorado?

Forest ecologists argue prescribed burns are necessary even as they have caused blazes this spring

DATE: Jun 4, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Bear Dance Fire sparks east of Ignacio; power cut to about 2,500 customers

Blaze torches about 20 acres of brush willow and cottonwood trees

DATE: Jun 3, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Rep. Lauren Boebert criticizes Forest Service chief for pausing prescribed burns

Federal agency says decision will have minimal impact

DATE: May 31, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Students displaced by fire hold prom at governor’s mansion

SANTA FE (AP) – The largest wildfire in New Mexico history wouldn’t stand in the way of a normal prom for Mora High School students. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham saw to that. Students laughed...

DATE: May 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Scientists protect their homes from wildfire smoke, poor air quality

Preventive measures can limit impacts on health

DATE: May 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: Southwest Life

Pre-evacuations lifted as firefighters control Durango’s Perins Peak Fire

County roads 206 and 208 are no longer under notice; crews secure northern edge of blaze

DATE: May 27, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Firefighters gain upper hand on Perins Peak Fire, but weekend weather raises concern

‘The likelihood of it being a lightning-caused fire is slim to none,’ official says

DATE: May 25, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

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Photos: Parade launches 2024 Connie Mack World Series in FarmingtonFans line street as players march on Main Damp, overcast weather cooled off the crowd lining Main Street on Friday morning for the 2024 Connie Mack World Series Parade. The hourlong parade began shortly after 10 a.m. in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

Fans line street as players march on Main

Photos: ‘Mini Takes the States’ tour stops in DurangoHundreds of Mini Cooper vehicles occupy Fort Lewis College on Sunday; Participants began the journey in Albuquerque and will finish in Seattle

Hundreds of Mini Cooper vehicles occupy Fort Lewis College on Sunday; Participants began the journey in Albuquerque and will finish in Seattle

Photos: Boxing returns to DurangoAnimus on the Animas: 1st Annual Durango Boxing Classic at the Durango Main Mall on Saturday

Animus on the Animas: 1st Annual Durango Boxing Classic at the Durango Main Mall on Saturday

Photos and video: Going for the gold by devouring piesContestants try their best to win the Oscar’s Pie Eating Contest on Friday in Durango

Contestants try their best to win the Oscar’s Pie Eating Contest on Friday in Durango

Photo: Fireworks light the sky in DurangoDurango celebrates Independence Day on Thursday night

Durango celebrates Independence Day on Thursday night

Photos: Working with woodLocal craftsman uses wood joinery, rather than nails or screws to construct homes and other structures

Local craftsman uses wood joinery, rather than nails or screws to construct homes and other structures

2024 Fourth of July Parade draws crowd Thursday in downtown Durango

Photos: Downtown Durango hosts Fourth of July ParadeDowntown sidewalks were full for Thursday’s celebration

Downtown sidewalks were full for Thursday’s celebration

Durango Rotary Club, Parks and Recreation department host Independence Day events

Law enforcement conducts active threat training at Park Elementary SchoolResidents may see and hear police activity Thursday and Friday

Law enforcement agencies across Southwest Colorado sent officers to participate in active threat training this week at Park Elementary School in Durango. Those in the neighborhood can expect police vehicles parked on the premises, officers in tactical gear conducting exercises inside and outside the school, and signs advising that training is in progress. The sounds of shouting, airsoft weapons and the popping of a starter pistol will also be audible near the school, said Karla Sluis, spokeswoman for Durango School District 9-R.Sluis said that members of the school district’s safety department have gone door-to-door with flyers notifying residents around Park Elementary School about the training.

Hosted by the Durango Police Department and the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, this week’s voluntary training invited officers from law enforcement agencies across a five-county region of Southwest Colorado encompassing La Plata, Archuleta, San Juan, Montezuma and Dolores counties.

La Plata County Sheriff’s Office deputy Durango Police Department Deputy Mike Latham, lead instructor for this week's training, said Wednesday and the first half of Thursday were mostly preparatory, teaching officers the school’s layout and devising scenarios, whereas the latter half of Thursday and Friday residents should anticipate some noise as active threat scenarios play out.

Latham said active threat training teaches officers proper protocol during active threat scenarios, especially in densely populated areas where they have become increasingly common.Park Elementary School is not the only Durango School District facility law enforcement has conducted active threat training. Latham said schools lend themselves well to this sort of training because, “It gives us all kinds of doors to work on, different rooms, different scenarios we can run. We can pretend it’s a mall with nice big corridors, we can even pretend it’s an outdoor area in the gymnasium.”Latham has participated in active threat training multiple times in the past and described the drills as exhilarating and nerve-wracking. He said one of the training’s main goals is teaching officers how to manage stress and remain calm with lives on the line.

“I take a pulse oximeter in the morning and get a baseline on their heart rates,” Latham said. “And sometimes, just before they’re about to engage a threat, I say ‘Timeout.’ Put it (the oximeter) on there, and their heart rate’s skyrocketed to 140, 150, 160 just in training.”

Latham said throughout his career active threat training has evolved to become safer for officers and fall in line with increasingly professional police standards.“When I first started we were just running into halls and rooms hoping for the best,” Latham said. “Now the tactic is still to get there, still stop the taking of lives, but tactics are much better than they were 20 years ago.”

Residents may see and hear police activity Thursday and Friday

Western wildfires force evacuations in Arizona, California

Durango Air Tanker Base to undergo renovations

Experts call on federal government to mitigate drought, wildfires

Residents impacted by wildfires could get help with food

New law requires speedier post-wildfire homeowners insurance payouts

Can we replace fire with mechanical thinning in Southwest Colorado?

Bear Dance Fire sparks east of Ignacio; power cut to about 2,500 customers

Rep. Lauren Boebert criticizes Forest Service chief for pausing prescribed burns

Students displaced by fire hold prom at governor’s mansion

Scientists protect their homes from wildfire smoke, poor air quality

Pre-evacuations lifted as firefighters control Durango’s Perins Peak Fire

Firefighters gain upper hand on Perins Peak Fire, but weekend weather raises concern

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