Colorado Wildfires:
Steps Towards Solutions
March 2024
As a western state, wildfires have been prevalent in Colorado’s history. In recent years however, we’ve been put on high alert as smoke wafts in from Canada and California, and devastating burns like the Marshal fire rock Colorado communities.
According to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, the 20 largest wildfires in Colorado have occurred in the past 20 years. Four of the five largest fires have occurred in the past three years. The Cameron Peak fire burned 208,913 acres of woodland in 2020, destroying natural spaces and human-made structures, and choking the air for hundreds of miles with dangerous levels of smoke. After watching Denver and surrounding areas struggle to handle these issues, I turned to experts to learn what we could do about the danger that wildfires present.
I reached out to Mitch Dahlke in December of 2023, a Wildfire Mitigation Specialist at Coalitions and Collaboratives (COCO). The organization works for the protection and maintenance of wildlife in Colorado. When asked about his role in the organization, Dahlke shared a little known fact. “A lot of people across the country use wildfire mitigation and prevention interchangeably, when in reality they are two very distinct, different things. So when you're talking about prevention, you're talking about preventing a fire from starting in the first place, preventing an ignition from starting; what the wildfire mitigation space is saying, and the message that we continue to push, is the fire’s going to happen, what are you going to do to be prepared for it?”
It is unrealistic to suggest that we can stop all wildfire ignitions, so Mitigation Specialists like Dahlke work to lessen the effects that fires have on communities. Some strategies used at COCO involve programs such as Action, Implementation and Mitigation (AIM), and After The Flames. These initiatives educate members about what they can do to mitigate the effects of wildfires before and after they have occurred. Dahlke emphasized that connecting members of the community is an integral part of making change in the mitigation field; such as the AIM program that’s designed to link mentor fire houses and nonprofits to groups that are looking to develop their fire mitigation resources. “The emergency, the crisis, is mitigation,” Dahlke explained. “And the way that we get past it is that we connect people…this issue takes every hand from every community, doing their part, applying whatever skill-set or knowledge that they have.”
One of the most challenging aspects of fire mitigation is that this collaborative process looks different for every community. For many neighborhoods in Colorado, mitigation efforts involve finding a group of able-bodied volunteers to cut back vegetation and clear any flammable materials away from homes. Other communities need to begin by applying for a grant from the US Forest Service in order to pay for expensive alterations to the structures in their neighborhood or town. After experiencing a devastating amount of home loss in recent years due to wildfires, the City of Boulder has developed a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) in order to support their residents in case of fire. The city hosted a webinar on Nov. 2, 2023, in order to discuss the CWPP for 2024. The meeting was intended to communicate with Boulder citizens about identified wildfire risks in their area, as well as inform them on how to best participate in the success of the plan.
Living in a city, it’s often difficult to see why wildfire mitigation is so important. But the fact is, all Colorado residents live in an arid climate that is prone to fire. With global warming trends comes less snowmelt, making for hot, dry summers. And while we tackle these issues on a global level, it is important to understand on a local level that no community is immune to wildfire, and government and non-profit support can make a difference in easing the pressure. When asked who plays the most critical role in Colorado wildfire mitigation, Dahlke responded “The most important stakeholder is the resident, is the community member, is the volunteer that’s willing to pick up a tool and go help their neighbor out.” Wildfire is a dangerous adversary, and in communities throughout Colorado, collaboration will be key.
Northfield High School’s student-led newspaper. Covering news in and out of the nest.
Find us on Instagram @thenighthawktimes or reach out to us via email.
Photo credits: Pixabay
© 2024 The Nighthawk Times
