COLORADO SPRINGS — Colorado’s intense year of wildfires is driving efforts toward better prevention measures. While analyzing the massive fires that burned tens of thousands of acres, the less than 30-acre Bear Creek Fire in Colorado Springs also offers valuable information.
“I'm glad there's a glaring spotlight on that right now,” said Colorado Springs Fire Chief Ted Collas. Colorado Springs firefighters went after the Bear Creek Fire with an aggressive attack that stopped flames just short of many homes. They were aided by mitigation that happened on both public and private land. Collas says, “We can create more areas where successes would happen.”
Colorado Springs city council is considering ways to expand and fund mitigation in the city. It is happening at the same time Colorado Governor Jared Polis has included mitigation funding in his state budget proposal that has to be approved by the state legislature. Colorado Springs City Council wants to see what action the state takes before deciding on a plan locally.
