Blog: a web log
03/08/2004: "Boulder wildland firefighters begin wildfire mitigation"
With favorable weather conditions, the city of Boulder wildland fire mitigation crew plans to burn slash piles south of Eldorado Springs Canyon Monday and ditches Tuesday near 75th Street and Valmont Road. Crew staffing is up to four firefighters beginning today, and they are prepared to fight wildfires and conduct wildfire mitigation work. By the end of May, the crew will expand to a total of eight firefighters.
The crew’s primary responsibility will be to fight wildfires and help staff the summer helicopter program. Other responsibilities include wildfire mitigation and forestry management, including the use of prescribed fire and forest thinning projects. Most prescribed burn activities, including ditches, grassland and forest burns occur in the spring and fall. Over 600 acres of prescribed fire treatment is scheduled for this year, though because of the dependency on weather and fire danger, this target may not be reached. Wildfire mitigation activities will occur on city watershed and around water treatment facilities and forestry work on Open Space and Mountain Parks lands.
“We are committed to interagency cooperation and boundary-less forest management projects in conjunction with our cooperators,” stated Wildland Fire Division Chief Marc Mullenix. “We must protect the safety of our citizens while providing a healthy and safe ecosystem.”
Benefits of prescribed fire include removing dead vegetation, returning nutrients to the soil, reducing noxious weeds and negative effects of unwanted wildfires while providing valuable research for resource managers, and hands-on training and coordination for area firefighters and resource managers.
March typically marks the beginning of the prescribed burn season because the timing is better for the natural resources and local air quality is improved over winter months. Fire managers also consider potential negative smoke impacts for public safety, contingency plans and preparations to reduce the threat of an escaped fire and wildlife and resource concerns.
