Colorado Takes Nation-Leading Steps to Boost Wildfire Resilience

Words: Jared Polis, Colorado Governor
Photo Credit: AegeanBlue

In Colorado and across the country, destructive wildfires have evolved from a seasonal challenge to a year-round threat. We are taking a proactive and common sense approach to prepare for, prevent, and respond to wildfires.

We know that it takes all of us working together to protect our communities and our iconic wild spaces. At the state level, we are expanding our supply of firefighting tools so that when a fire breaks out, we aren’t competing with other states for federal aviation resources. We are also focused on protecting forest health and reducing the fuel available for a fire to grow.

This also means empowering every Coloradan with the tools, information, and resources to do their part and be mindful of everyday items that can increase the risk of wildfire spreading in and around homes if a fire does break out.

Unfortunately, in recent years we heard from Coloradans who were blocked from investing in fire resistant home protections - like fencing, decks, and landscaping - due to burdensome and overly restrictive HOA policies.

We took steps to protect Coloradans’ freedom to clear their homes of fuel for fires, and last year, I was proud to sign a bipartisan new law to ensure Coloradans can harden their homes without facing unnecessary roadblocks from HOAs. HOAs can no longer block these important improvements.

The most important time to protect our homes and neighborhoods from a wildfire is before a fire starts. That work starts right at home, with small steps to reduce the amount of fuel available for a fire to grow. These investments can make all the difference in preventing small sparks from becoming large, destructive wildfires, which is why we took bipartisan action to ensure HOAs don’t get in the way of Coloradans’ efforts to protect their property and their neighborhoods.

Colorado has long been a leader in fire response and mitigation, and we will continue to find new and innovative ways to prepare for and prevent wildfires while saving people money, protecting property, and supporting our hardworking and dedicated firefighters.

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