10/30/2020 Stay safe!

 

Stay safe, Colorado! Remember, follow instructions from local authorities and stay alert. https://twitter.com/CSFS_Outreach/status/1317238507673251840

10/29/2020 Rocky Mountain Area Command Public Service Announcements

 

The Rocky Mountain Fire Prevention Education Team would like to encourage you to be vigilant while recreating on public lands. We’re not out of the woods yet! Don’t let recent precipitation fool you; fire danger is still high and the drought continues.  It will take significant back-to-back weather events for our forests to recover, especially the heavier fuels (called 1000-hour fuels). Remain fire aware and report wildfires to 9-1-1. Be outdoor safe!

Plan Ahead: Most federal, state and county campgrounds are closed at this time and will continue to be closed despite recent moisture, so no campfires are allowed.  You can still enjoy the warmth and flames using alternative heat sources, such as propane-fueled stoves or other heating devices with on/off switches.  Check for closures and restrictions; Know before you go and be outdoor safe!

Plan Ahead: The state and federal land management agencies are encouraging the public to Know before you go! Know where the closures are and whether you are on public or private property, check the weather ahead of time and get a map of the area (some areas you will find do not have mobile phone coverage, try to take a printed map).  It is important to be cognizant of where you can and cannot have campfires and hunt legally. Be outdoor safe!

Travel: The National Forest Service is encouraging drivers to practice fire safety. When towing a trailer, be sure no chains or parts are dragging on the roadway. Stop immediately if you get a flat tire. Any of these events will cause sparks that can easily start a fire in dry conditions. Never park your vehicle in tall grass. Hot exhaust pipes can ignite a fire that you may not notice until it is too late. Remember, one less spark, one less fire!  Be outdoor safe!

 

10/28/2020 We Are Not Out of The Woods

Photo Cameron Peak Fire 

Fires have burned more than 400,000 acres in Colorado this year, which has proven to be one of the worst fire seasons ever in our state. During a normal fire season, season ending analysis graphs can be a great tool to gauge the potential for a season ending event to occur. However, as recent events have demonstrated, 2020 is not "normal."  The data used in these analyses does not adequately capture the drought scenario the Rocky Mountain Region is currently experiencing.  These conditions have not occurred in the last 20 years, rendering season ending analysis data virtually unusable.

Though snow has fallen, and humidity levels are still above the critical stages, we are still not out of the woods.  The extreme drought we are experiencing this year, in combination with the severe beetle kill from the early 2000, has resulted in fire conditions unlike any we have ever seen.

With winter approaching and the weather changing, it brings hope for relief.  However, several back-to-back storm systems with significant precipitation and/or high levels of snow accumulation that stay on the landscape for the rest of the winter are needed to truly end this fire season. Without a significant amount of moisture, extreme drought conditions will continue, and it is a possible scenario that heat in the larger fuels could survive even under snow cover, and fires could re-emerge in the spring.

Unfortunately, fire danger remains elevated for the foreseeable future.  Now, more than ever, we all need to continue to be vigilant and take precautions in order to prevent unwanted human-caused wildfires.

“This year's fire behavior in Colorado has been erratic and at times, extreme; it is often hard to predict what these types of fires do. The snow has done positive things and the fires are on pause but have not necessarily stopped. We need to maintain a vigilant posture and follow county guidelines on fire restrictions,” said Caley Fisher, Public Information Officer for the Division of Fire Prevention and Control.

 

10/24/2020 Regional Fire Prevention Team Activated

 

 Press Release

Media Contact: Stephanie Cooke

Phone number: 970-290-0031

Email: region2fireprevention2020@gmail.com

October 25, 2020, Lakewood, Colorado - Extreme drought, active wildfires, and the extended outlook for lingering fire conditions have public land managers utilizing every tool in their toolbox. Inter-agency fire officials recently activated a Fire Prevention Education Team of nine subject matter experts to help raise public awareness of current and expected fire conditions, the occurrence and risk of unwanted human-caused fires, and the locations and impacts of public land fire restrictions and closures. The Team will remind people of their critical role in keeping our communities and public lands free of unwanted human-caused wildfires by taking simple precautions.

The Team consists of Public Information Officers, Fire Prevention Education Specialists and a Graphic Artist – all working from remote offices in Colorado, Oregon, Kentucky, and Texas. During their assignment, the Team will design educational fire prevention and public land stewardship materials for use with traditional media, social media, and other public awareness outreach methods.

Brian Achziger, BLM Colorado State Fire Management Officer said, “We are experiencing an unprecedented amount of fires in Colorado this year. Normally we do not see so many large fires this late in the year, and this is due to the unseasonably warm and dry weather, along with a lack of moisture over the summer. These factors have been keeping our wildland fuels dry and available to burn very actively. A Fire Prevention Team has been brought into the area to work with fire suppression and incident management resources. This Fire Prevention Team will give people the tools and information they need to stay safe.”

For Fire Prevention Education information please visit the Rocky Mountain Fire Prevention Blog at RMPrevention.blogspot.com

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10/22/2020 Fire Closure Alert

Due to unprecedented and historic fire conditions, the USDA Forest Service's Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests has implemented a temporary closure of all National Forest land in Clear Creek, Jefferson, Gilpin, Boulder and Larimer counties. This decision will be re-evaluated daily as conditions change. View all Fire Closures and Restrictions across the forest.

Three Front Range Districts are temporarily CLOSED due to wildfire threat.

(For a printable, shareable copy of this order, click here)

Order #ARP-2020-13 

FOREST ORDER USDA FOREST SERVICE 

Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests Boulder, Canyon Lakes, and Clear Creek Ranger Districts 

STAGE 3 CLOSURE ORDER 

Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 551 and 36 C.F.R. § 261.50 (a) and (b), the following acts are prohibited on National Forest System lands within the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests that are located in Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Larimer, and Jefferson Counties within the Boulder, Clear Creek, and Canyon Lakes Ranger Districts in the State of Colorado (“Restricted Areas”) and on all National Forest System roads and trails located within the Restricted Area (“the Restricted Roads and Trails”). The Restricted Area is depicted on the attached map hereby incorporated into this order as Exhibit A. 

The purposes of this Order are to: (1) provide for public safety; and (2) prevent interference with firefighting operations. 

PROHIBITIONS: This Order prohibits the following: 

1) Going into or being upon the Restricted Areas depicted on the Map in Exhibit A. 36 C.F.R. § 261.52(e). 

2) Being on the National Forest System Roads within the Restricted Areas. 36 C.F.R. § 261.54(e). 

3) Being on the National Forest System Trails within the Restricted Areas. 36 C.F.R. § 261.55(a). 

EXEMPTIONS: Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this order: 

1) Any federal, state or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force, in the performance of an official duty; 

2) Persons with a Forest Service permit specifically exempting them from the effect of this Order. 

This Order supersedes other existing fire restrictions and closure orders in place for these districts, including Orders ARP-2020-10 and ARP-2020-11. Stage 2 Fire Restrictions remain in place for the Pawnee National Grassland. When this order is rescinded the previous Orders will remain in effect until rescinded or expiration. 

This Order becomes effective at 12:00am on October 21, 2020 and remains in effect until November 15, 2020 or until rescinded, whichever event occurs first. 

Executed in Fort Collins, Colorado October 20, 2020. 

MONTE WILLIAMS 

Forest Supervisor Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland 

A violation of the prohibitions in this Order is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both. (16 U.S.C. § 551 and 18 U.S.C §§ 3559 and 3571).

10/22/2020 Current Fire Map