Emergency evacuations in the Estes Valley depend on flexible decision-making, close coordination among agencies, and rapid communication with the public during disasters ranging from wildfires to hazardous material spills, Estes Park Police Chief Ian Stewart told residents Thursday morning.
Stewart spoke about emergency evacuation procedures during the monthly Coffee and Tea at the PD gathering at Town Hall, noting that attendance of some 50 people was the largest the event series has seen.
“The PD could not do this by themselves. The fire department cannot do this by themselves,” Stewart said, emphasizing that major evacuations require cooperation among law enforcement, fire agencies, emergency managers and regional partners.
Stewart traced the region’s evacuation planning lessons through major Colorado disasters, including the 2012 High Park Fire, the 2013 floods, the 2020 Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires, and more recent incidents such as the Alexander Mountain Fire. He described the High Park Fire as a “watershed moment” that reshaped how Northern Colorado public safety agencies approach evacuations.
Emergency officials continuously monitor wildfire and weather conditions, including daily state emergency operations briefings, fuel moisture readings and National Weather Service decision packages. Stewart used this week’s snowstorm as an example, noting that despite almost 30 inches of snow in the Estes Valley, long-term fuel moisture levels changed very little.
Stewart explained that evacuations can result from various situations, such as natural disasters including wildfire and flooding, hazardous material spills, infrastructure failures, and criminal incidents.
Stewart urged residents to register for Larimer County’s NoCo Alerts emergency notification system, which officials use to send evacuation notices and other emergency information. He said residents can register multiple locations for themselves and their family members, and identify access issues and special needs that could require additional assistance during evacuations.
He explained that Estes Park does not rely on a single rigid evacuation plan because disasters can quickly change road access and conditions. Instead, agencies use a flexible process built around geographic “polygons” — preplanned evacuation areas designed around population, road access and terrain.
Stewart said evacuation decisions are based on “management action points,” or triggers, developed in coordination with fire officials and other emergency responders. He said authorities generally prefer issuing voluntary evacuations early to give residents more time to prepare.
“I would much rather tell you, ‘Hey, the fire shifted,’ and have you go home and start packing up and not need to leave, than you get that big red button — mandatory is now,” Stewart said.
The chief discussed challenges unique to Estes Park, including limited routes in and out of town, heavy tourism traffic and communication infrastructure concentrated on Prospect Mountain.
Without apology, Stewart said law enforcement and transportation crews have contingency plans for dealing with blocked evacuation routes, including taking a police cruiser with its big push bumper and pushing a disabled car off the road if necessary.
Stewart’s presentation will be repeated on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. during the Community Public Safety Fair at the Estes Park Events Complex, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.