Pair of Bills to Improve Wildfire Response Pass Committee

SB25-007 and SB25-015 would update existing wildfire resiliency and emergency response measures

DENVER, CO – Two bills sponsored by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, and Senator Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, that would improve Colorado’s prevention of and response to wildfires passed the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee today. 

“Because of the real impacts of climate change, we are living with an unpredictable and increasing threat of devastating wildfire,” said Cutter. “As a longtime member and current chair of the Wildfire Matters Review Committee, I am committed to championing solutions that address all facets of this issue. Prescribed burning and easily accessible information on all facets of wildfire are important tools in the toolbox to help protect Coloradans and our forests.”

“We’ve learned so many lessons from the catastrophic wildfires of recent years, and among the most important of those is to be prepared,” said Marchman. “It is imperative that we strengthen our use of proactive, science-backed approaches like prescribed burns to address dangerous conditions and keep our forests healthy before we find ourselves in a disastrous situation.”

SB25-007 would encourage the use of prescribed burns as a wildfire resilience tool by creating the Prescribed Fire Claims Cash Fund within the Division of Fire Prevention and Control to pay compensation for claims from damage caused by prescribed burns. Unintended damage is rare, but a lack of liability coverage is often a barrier to conducting beneficial prescribed burns. The bill would also create a new avenue for individuals to obtain a ‘certified burner’ designation from the Department of Public Safety, allowing them to conduct prescribed burns on private lands if they are certified in another state.

SB25-015 would scale up Colorado’s existing Wildfire Information and Resource Center website to improve emergency response by requiring the Division of Fire Prevention and Control to post updated information like wildfire statuses, burning restrictions, and prescribed burn activities. 

Both bills were recommended by the Wildfire Matters Review Interim Committee, a bipartisan group of lawmakers tasked with developing legislation to bolster the forestry workforce and improve wildfire mitigation strategies. 

SB25-007 now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee and SB25-015 moves to the Senate floor for further consideration.