Drought conditions and wildfire danger in El Paso County have been a study in contradictions this year. When 2022 began, the county was already under Stage 1 burn restrictions enacted in September 2021.Higher than normal average temperatures and lower than normal precipitation amounts dominated the first three months of the year. The Falcon area experienced three large wildland fires in April and May. Then the monsoons came. While the mid-to-late-summer rains have temporarily decreased fire danger, the resulting lush vegetation will become fuel for wildfires once it dries out in the fall.A dry start to 2022According to The U.S. Drought Monitor website, part or all of Colorado was consistently in drought conditions as far back as July 2019. The entire state was in some stage of drought, ranging from ìabnormally dryî to ìextreme,î between late November 2021 and late May 2022. National Weather Service data shows that less than an inch of precipitation was measured in the Colorado Springs area during each of the first four months of 2022. March and April, which historically tend to be the snowiest months in El Paso County, saw numerous red flag warnings and fire weather watches due to abnormally warm and dry conditions. That is also when the Falcon Fire Protection District began to experience an uptick in wildland fire incidents.Between March 1 and Aug. 15, FFPD crews responded to 28 wildland fire incidents, with 17 of those occurring within district boundaries. Some of those early fires were significant. On April 8, a wildfire near Falcon Highway and Rio Road burned just under 34 acres and an outbuilding. A nearly 39-acre fire near Curtis Road and Patton Drive burned a house and multiple outbuildings on April 10. A fire near Falcon Highway and McCandlish Road on May 26 blackened 84 acres. Evacuation orders impacting numerous local residents were issued for each of these fires.Seasonal monsoon rains over the summer brought a welcome reprieve from wildfires locally, even as fires raged across other Western states, including California, Idaho and Montana. El Paso County lifted fire restrictions on July 25. However, Coloradoís monsoon season only lasts a few months, with the highest precipitation amounts typically received from July through September, according to the Colorado Climate Center website. When the rains dry up, so does vegetation.Fall wildfire outlookIn an email to The New Falcon Herald, FFPD Fire Chief Trent Harwig noted, ìThe recent rains have done a great job at greening things up and reducing the wildland fire threat this summer. However, with the rain comes growth.î Residents only need to look at their lawns, pastures and fields to see how tall grasses and other vegetation have grown in recent months. But even short, mowed grasses can be a concern because they dry out so quickly.ìAs fall and early winter arrive, all that new growth will dry out and present a new wildland fire risk,î Harwig said. ìIt is not uncommon for us to stay dry here on the Front Range until late into December or even early January.îThere is no way to know exactly what kind of weather is in store this fall for the Front Range and El Paso County specifically, but experts have a good idea. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration seasonal temperature and precipitation outlooks for September to November 2022 indicate a 60% to 70% chance for warmer than average temperatures for Colorado, and a 40% to 50% chance for below average precipitation statewide. Conditions like these, combined with the recent growth of natural fuels, have the potential to contribute to serious wildfires.Falconís firefighters stay preparedThere was a time when ìwildfire seasonî was considered to be around four months long, depending on location. That is no longer the case. Climate change is increasing the number, severity and overall size of wildfires, particularly across the Western states. The U.S. Forest Service is even ìshifting to the concept of a fire year,î according to its website.FFPD Deputy Chief Jeff Petersma echoed those sentiments in an email to the NFH. ìColorado no longer has a wildfire season, as itís year-round now.î He emphasized that FFPD firefighters remain vigilant, even during the rainy season, because conditions can change quickly. They stay prepared through a combination of ongoing training; ensuring equipment and apparatus are operationally ready; monitoring natural fuel moistures; monitoring national incident planning levels and forecasts; and watching daily situational reports for availability of wildfire resources.Additional wildland firefighting assetsFFPD has expanded its wildland firefighting capabilities by cross-training Emergency Medical Services personnel. In his email, Harwig said the district added paramedic staff when the Advanced Life Support transport system was added to its response matrix in late 2020. ìSince then, we have been training those medical responders in wildland firefighting skills,î he said. ìIn addition to our regular firefighting staff, these additionally trained crew members should improve our capabilities when responding to wildland fires.îWhen FFPD firefighters are dispatched to fires, they receive assistance from other local fire agencies under automatic aid and mutual aid agreements. FFPD also provides assistance to other fire departments under those same agreements. But there are additional firefighting resources available at the local, county, state and federal levels.A relatively new county wildland firefighting resource is the Southern Colorado Interagency Wildland Fire Team. Formed in April 2022 and staffed by firefighters from six southern El Paso County fire departments, the team provides a streamlined response to wildfires and augments available staffing for smaller agencies, according to a July 21 KKTV news release. Petersma said the team is available to assist FFPD through mutual aid agreements.A federal asset based in the county is the U.S. Forest Service Air Tanker Base at the Colorado Springs Airport. A 2021 press release stated that the base has six reload pits for Large Air Tankers and one reload pit dedicated to Very Large Air Tankers (such as DC-10s and 747s). Multiple aircraft can be reloaded simultaneously, and the base has a service area of up to 600 miles across 15 states. Petersma noted in his email, ìWe are fortunate to have the USFS tanker base located in our backyard.îWhat residents can doResidents can help protect their own properties from wildfires while also giving firefighters a chance to save them. Harwig said the best thing property owners can do is to keep grass and weeds cut short, especially around buildings. ìTrim your trees, removing ladder fuels such as dead or low-hanging branches, and remove flammable vegetation and materials from around structures for a distance of at least 5 feet,î he said. ìDonít forget about those outbuildings. It is not uncommon to see tall weeds growing right up the side of barns and sheds or under decks.îNext month, wildland firefighting Part IIWildfires: A new collections exhibitTwo major wildfires of the past decade ó the Waldo Canyon Fire and the Black Forest Fire ó are being featured in a new exhibit that presents the story of these wildfires. The exhibit is available in the Special Collections section of the Carnegie Building at Penrose Library, Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
