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DENVER, CO – The Wildfire Matters Review Committee today advanced bills to bolster the forestry workforce and improve wildfire prevention and mitigation strategies.
Bill 2, sponsored by Representatives Tisha Mauro, D-Pueblo, and Ron Weinberg, R-Loveland, and Senators Janice Marchman, D-Loveland and Mark Baisley, R-Woodland Park, would grant landowners who allow access to their property during an emergency immunity from civil liability charges for damage or injury to people or property. Immunity would not be granted when damage or injury arises from gross negligence or willful misconduct caused by the landowner.
“Our communities need more wildfire prevention tools and they need them now,” said Mauro, sponsor of Bills 2 and 6. “We’ve worked hard to ensure our communities have resources during natural disasters, and I’m sponsoring a bill that will ensure important resources and wildfire information are more easily accessible to the public. We also advanced legislation to legally protect landowners who allow access to their land during an emergency to keep our communities safe and prevent landowners from being sued when they act in good faith.”
“Just last month, a wildfire in my district burned thousands of acres and destroyed dozens of structures,” said Marchman, sponsor of Bills 2, 3, and 7. “Due to dry conditions and a warming climate, the threat for future wildfires will only grow. While we have worked hard in recent years to bolster Colorado’s wildfire fighting systems, it’s never too late to do more. I’m proud to sponsor legislation that will protect landowners who assist in firefighting efforts by allowing access to their private lands, support outreach programs to get more young folks connected to careers in forestry, and expand opportunities for using prescribed fires as a wildfire resilience tool.”
Sponsored by Chair of the Committee, Senator Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, Vice Chair Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs and Representative Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, as well as Marchman, Bill 3 would support outreach programs to bolster the forestry workforce. The bill would direct the Colorado Cooperative Extension Service at Colorado State University to develop outreach programs to build skills and forestry career awareness, and to promote degree programs in forestry. Additionally, it would require the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to provide grants for firefighter and trainer certification and to develop an outreach campaign that promotes career and volunteer firefighting opportunities.
“With annual wildfires becoming the norm, it is critical that we take action now to protect Coloradans from dangerous wildfires,” said Boesenecker, sponsor of Bill 3. “I am proudly sponsoring legislation that would boost our forestry workforce to help prevent wildfire devastation. By ensuring our communities have the tools they need to prevent wildfires from progressing, we can save lives and protect our beautiful open spaces.”
“This summer, Colorado once again saw destructive wildfires that threatened communities along the Front Range and in my district,” said Cutter, sponsor of Bills 3 and 7. “As the threat of wildfires continues, it’s urgent that we continue our work to leverage every tool available to protect our communities and prepare for future wildfire disasters. The legislation we’re advancing today will grow our workforce and reduce barriers to responsible prescribed burns, an emerging and critical tool for wildfire resilience.”
“As a resident and representative of the Western Slope, I know how destructive wildfires can be and the impact they have on our communities, which is why we’re carefully drafting legislation to make our state more resilient to wildfires,” said Velasco, sponsor of Bills 3, 6 and 7. “From building up our wildfire response workforce and boosting prescribed fire efforts to improving accessibility to important wildfire emergency resources, we’re taking multiple approaches to better prepare our communities’ wildfire mitigation and response efforts and build up Colorado’s healthy forests.”
Sponsored by Cutter, Marchman, Velasco, and Weinberg, Bill 7 aims to encourage the use of prescribed fires as a wildfire resilience tool by creating the Prescribed Fire Claims Cash Fund within the Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) to pay damage claims resulting from qualifying prescribed fire projects. Unintended damage is rare, yet lack of liability coverage is often a barrier to these beneficial projects happening, these funds will enable beneficial forest health work even when no claims are paid.
Bill 7 would also create a new avenue for individuals to obtain a 'certified burner' designation from the DPS, allowing them to conduct prescribed fires on private lands if they are certified in another state.
The committee also approved two additional bills. Bill 1 would direct the DPS to study and develop applications of artificial intelligence to fight wildfires and Bill 6 would require the DPS to add additional county-level information on its website, such as emergency information and wildfire updates.
The bills will now go to the Legislative Council for approval before being introduced next session. Once introduced in the 2025 session, interim bills will follow the legislative process in the same manner as all other bills.