Christine Scanlan

COLORADO
HOUSE MAJORITY COMMUNICATIONS
STATE CAPITOL

Wildfire Preparedness Plan Passes Through House
As Lawmakers Head to DC and Lobby on Issue

(DENVER) — Just hours before State Representative Christine Scanlan (D-Summit County) will head to Washington, D.C. to secure additional funds to address the bark beetle epidemic and reduce the threat of a potentially devastating forest fire, the Community Wildfire Protection Plan passed through the House.

Rep. Scanlan is the co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1, The Community Wildfire Protection Plan, which helps local governments effectively and efficiently prepare for wildfires. The legislation will establish guidelines for local governments to follow to respond to wildfires, so officials are not making that decision on the ground in emergency situations.

“Having a preparedness plan ready to go before firefighters hit the ground to battle a wildfire will help tremendously in emergency situations,” said Rep. Scanlan. “Colorado has more than 22 million acres of forested land, with 1 million Coloradans living within the wildland urban interface. And with more than 2 million acres of dead lodge pole pine, we really need to ensure that Colorado is prepared for potential wildfires.”

Rep. Scanlan was the Co-Chair of the Interim Committee on Wildfire Issues in the Wild Land-Urban Interface Area. The Committee spent months researching potential wildfire problem-areas, as well as ways to prepare the state for emergencies.

Under this legislation, the state forester will establish guidelines for identifying and mitigating fire hazards, with input from the state, local and federal government bodies.

# # #