Hickenlooper, Bennet, Neguse, Pettersen Call for Additional Firefighting Crews to Help Battle Fires

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse and Brittany Pettersen called on the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) to provide additional support for the State of Colorado to battle several ongoing wildfires that threaten homes and communities across the Front Range.

"We urge you to work with the State of Colorado to meet requests for available hand crews needed as soon as possible," wrote the lawmakers. "Existing resources are stretched thin to meet those demands… Time is of the essence to save lives and homes."

The NIFC works to foster cooperation and collaboration between national and state wildland fire entities to ensure wildland fire personnel and other emergency services employees across the nation receive the support and information they need to do their job safely and effectively.

Hand crews are made up of highly skilled wildland firefighters that fight at the frontline of fires, creating firelines and defensible spaces, conducting mop-up operations, and relieving firefighters and medic engines. In addition to the hand crews, the lawmakers urged the NIFC to meet Colorado's request for any available engines, incident management teams, and aviation support.

Major wildfires sparked earlier this week and continue to burn across thousands of acres near Boulder, Loveland, Lyons and in Jefferson County. Hickenlooper and the lawmakers already announced the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) swift authorization for federal funding to help support response efforts.

Find the full letter to NFIC Chief Mark Hilton HERE and below.

Dear Chief Hilton,

Given the increased wildfire risk we are facing across our State, we write to request your strong support for the State of Colorado as it continues to battle several ongoing wildfires that threaten homes and communities. Specifically, we urge you to work with the State of Colorado to meet requests for available hand crews needed as soon as possible, in addition to any available engines, incident management teams, and aviation support.

The Alexander Mountain Fire in Larimer County, the Stone Canyon and Lake Shore Fires in Boulder County, and the Quarry Fire in Jefferson County have all begun within the last 48 hours. This has prompted the evacuation of thousands, claiming the life of one of our community members, burning more than a combined 9,000 acres, and destroying at least five structures.

The State of Colorado has activated all available resources to address these wildfires, including new aerial resources, and are actively coordinating with the National Interagency Fire Center and neighboring states. With existing wildfires and the continued high wildfire risk, the State expects to need additional resources in the coming days and weeks.

We understand the pressures facing our wildland firefighting workforce, as wildfires rage all across the western United States and continue to threaten many of our communities. Existing resources are stretched thin to meet those demands. We strongly support the State of Colorado's request for additional resources immediately, and over the coming weeks and months, as we continue to face extreme heat and drought conditions that may exacerbate existing fires and increase the risk of additional wildfires. Time is of the essence to save lives and homes.

We appreciate your attention to this urgent matter.

###

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.