Two bills in state Senate address wildfire risks

Story by Lincoln Roch

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.

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.

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