Spring wildfire planning on the South Platte Ranger District

The South Platte Ranger District, Jefferson County Sherriff’s Office and the Upper South Platte Partnership (USPP) recently conducted their spring wildfire planning meeting in Jefferson County. This event provides participants information to support planning for the upcoming wildfire season and future prescribed fire season. 

Partners present for the event included Jefferson County Sheriff’s office, USPP, Pueblo and Northern Colorado Interagency Dispatch Centers, Douglas County Sherriff’s Office and Office of Emergency Management, Arapahoe County Sherriff’s Office and Office of Emergency Management, Department of Fire Prevention and Control, Elk Creek Fire & Rescue, Conifer Fire & Rescue, Evergreen Fire & Rescue, West Metro Fire & Rescue, South Metro Fire & Rescue, Platte Canyon Fire Protection District, Jefferson County Open Space, Jefferson Conservation District, Denver Mountain Parks, Denver Water, Aurora Water, CORE Electric Cooperative,  Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, Clear Creek Watershed & Forest Health Partnership, National Weather Service Boulder Office, Rocky Mountain Area Predictive Services and others. In total, there were at least 66 attendees.

During this meeting, the forest service ran an exercise with community partners that simulated coordinated cross-boundary wildfire response in Waterton Canyon, the county line between Douglas and Jefferson Counties. Training with our community partners is critical to maintaining a strong wildfire defense strategy and building impactful partnerships.

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has, for more than 100 years, brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology — and rooted in communities — the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners and maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the United States, of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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