Following a summer that saw destructive wildfires sweep through Larimer and Boulder Counties, Sen. Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, who represents the Estes Valley, is sponsoring a pair of bills that would address fire mitigation and emergency information.
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One would make it easier to carry out prescribed burns on private land. The other would consolidate emergency information and county wildfire updates into an existing state website.
Both bills result from Marchman’s work on the Wildfire Matters Review Committee, a legislative panel that meets during the summer while the General Assembly is out of session.
Prescribed burns
SB 25-007 would create a cash fund in the state treasury for damage caused by prescribed burns. Additionally, it would allow “certified burners” from other states to transfer their certifications to Colorado. A certified burner is a person who has received training and certification by the state to carry out low complexity prescribed burns on private land.
Property owners would be eligible to receive money from the new fund if they submit a claim within 60 days of a prescribed burn that caused damage. They would need to provide proof of the damage and its cost. The burn that caused damage also needs to have followed all state regulatory requirements.
Colorado State Fire Chiefs executive director Ken Watkins, who is supporting the bill, explained that property damage from prescribed burns is relatively rare and when it does occur is usually minor.
“If there is damaged property…most of the time what you might see is like fencing,” Watkins said.
He sees both the cash fund and certification reciprocity as new tools in the toolbox for carrying out prescribed and controlled burning.
To receive certified burner reciprocity from state regulators, an individual would need to submit proof of valid certification from a state government to the state’s Division of Fire Control and Prevention. Those credentials would need to meet Colorado’s standards and requirements.
“We’re trying to reduce the red tape to make more immediate changes, to really take care of some of the fuel that we’ve got and to strike it down before we run into further wildfires,” Marchman said.
The bill does not affect Rocky Mountain National Park or other federal lands. Their wildland crews require federal certifications. Local property owners will still need to get permitted to carry out a prescribed burn. That is done through the Lairmer County Department of Health and Environment and Estes Valley Fire Protection District.
EVFPD chief Paul Capo says that the bill would help the district’s goals. Late last year, the district started a wildland mitigation program using funds from Ballot Issue 1A which Estes Park voters approved in April.
EVFPD hired a full-time wild land program manager and a wildland educator. The district is also planning to hire multiple full-time employees to work in the field on mitigation efforts. Currently, it is offering property owners a voluntary wildfire mitigation assessment. That service will then be expanded to include the option to have EVFPD crews perform mitigation work at no expense to the landowner.
“We’re going to provide that service through the 1A funds, and so then we can all just do that in-house,” Capo said.
While the certified burner section of the proposed legislation will not require any allocation of state funds, the bill includes $1 million for the cash fund. Both Marchman and Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Lakewood, the bill’s co-sponsor, recognize that money is tight for Colorado’s government. The state is facing a $750 million budget deficit and state legislators are seeking program cuts throughout the budget.
Cutter said she is working on an amendment to the bill that would create the fund but not put any state money into it. Instead, it would rely on grants and gifts for the foreseeable future.
“So we kind of set up the idea that we will create this fund. But, yeah, we’re not going to be in a position to spend money for quite some time,” Cutter said.
Wildfire Information
In 2014 legislators created the Wildfire Information Resource Center, a state-run website that provides details about active wildfires and resources focused on mitigation and prevention. SB 25-015 would require the Division of Fire Prevention and Control to modify the website.
The improved version would include links to other websites that display both emergency information and wildfire updates for each county in the state. The agency would work with county governments and their offices of emergency management.
“What this is going to do is just provide a hyperlink to whatever we know those counties already have,” Marchman said. “We allow the counties to determine what it is they want to provide.”
Both Boulder County and Larimer County have offices that are responsible for emergency management. In addition to providing information on active fires, residents can opt in to emergency notifications. Larimer County also has community wildfire mitigation grants available for neighborhoods and non-profit organizations. Applications are due by midnight March 9.
The two bills will be considered Feb. 19 in the Senate’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
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