By Dennis Luttrell

Today, the number one issue facing our county is wildfire. The recent local publications have been raising awareness regarding our regional threat. Teller County in the top one percent of our country facing this ever-growing threat. The entire state is in a drought despite the recent moisture. This was the same condition during the Hayman Fire and the more recent Boulder County Fire. These have been the most destructive wildfires in the history of the state. Add to this climate change and the current outbreak of ponderosa pine beatles and the situation worsens.

While wildfire mitigation and home hardening ultimately are the responsibility of the landowners, a countywide approach needs to be taken. On the private sector side there are several local companies that will provide these services. They are also expensive. It is not unusual for a one-acre project to cost $4,000 or more. There also is a local nonprofit organization that offers wildfire education, mediation, and home hardening classes. They also have a team of trained sawyers, swappers, and burners to assist those who cannot afford the expense of wildfire mitigation. However, there is already a long waiting list of field projects. On May 9, we mitigated RE-2 properties to assist the school department’s wildfire exposure. They addressed the threat to the school properties and the students and teachers therein. As a result, we will be saving the taxpayers thousands of dollars.

There are many landowners that have begun to address this situation. As a result, they have an abundance of slash on the ground that needs to be removed. The national policy is to remove these fuels by on-site burning in small piles and not in eight-foot by eight-foot by eight-foot piles of six-inch logs as is the current Teller County policy. That policy also has not allowed burning even when there is six inches of snow on the ground. This needs to be changed.

Wildfire planning , education and mitigation needs to be adequately addressed at the county level before the next big one hits. To date the county’s track record has been dismal. The Fire Marshal is trying to ban the NOFLOCO from helping homeowners. There are no posted evacuation routes. No county participation in either the recent wildfire tabletop exercise held in Divide (04/24) , which was attended by the fire chiefs from Green Mountain Fall to Lake George, nor the Colorado Wildland Fire Conference held in Fort Collins (04/13). The list goes on and on.

Leadership is greatly needed. I am a nationally certified planner with decades of experience in the fire service. I am a NOFLOCO volunteer. I have been twice elected as one of the Divide Fire Protection District’s Directors. I formerly served as a two-term Teller County Commissioner. I know what needs to be done and will work diligently to accomplish it after I am re-elected in November.