Firewise - Southwest Colorado Council
Monthly Meeting Outcomes
April 18, 2006

 

 

In attendance: Mike Kane Sr., Dave Cluff, Bob Koenig, Jack Cannon, Joy Mathis, Ben Cordova, Dave Abercrombie, Harry Bruell, Pam Wilson, Laurie Robison, Nicole Smith

I. Announcements

• Magnets are available for distribution! The fire council’s most recent project of having magnets produced with emergency fire-related contact numbers was a success. A special thank you to Bob Koenig who spearheaded this effort. Thank you also to Dave Abercrombie and Durango Fire and Rescue Authority for providing the funding to make this project happen. The magnets will be stored at the Public Lands Center in care of Laurie and Nicole. Ambassadors and Fire Council members are encouraged to pass magnets out to friends and neighbors. Please contact Laurie or Nicole to get them.

• Open House at Station 8 (Spring road) in Rafter J on Saturday, August 29 from 10am to 2pm. DFRA will be there and the primary focus will be on mitigation. Nicole will check with ambassador Maureen Keilty to see if she can attend part of it.
  

• Stop by the Fire Council booth at Home Depot this Saturday, April 22 from 10am to 2pm. DFRA’s mobile command unit will be there accompanied by Smokey Bear!! In addition Four Corners Broadcasting will be live broadcasting from the booth. Thanks to Ben Cordova for coordinating this and also to Laurie and Dave for volunteering their time and energies.

II. The Red Zone project did get funded! This project will include the purchase of software that maps the communities at risk and the implementation of that. It will be a collaboration of the Office of Community Services (OCS) at Fort Lewis College, local fire departments and Southwest Conservation Corps (SWCC) who will be populating the database. Ambassadors may play a crucial role in assisting SWCC with mapping in their subdivisions. If ambassadors are interested they may contact Bill Ball at OCS at 247-7066 ball_b@fortlewis.edu or Harry Bruell at SWCC at 259-8607 or harry@sccorps.org.

III. The Bayfield Recycle Center may be eliminating slash disposal at their facility this year. Bob Koenig has contacted Sheryl Ayers (county commissioner) regarding this—she is looking into it and will get back to Bob. The council discussed ideas for how we can approach county commissioners and ask for solutions to this possible problem. It was agreed that Bob will compose a letter to the commissioners from council explaining the need for a slash disposal location. Bob will contact Dan Ochocki to see about support from Colorado State Forest Service and Pam will contact some leaders at the Public Lands Center for their support.

IV. The meeting then broke out into the education and mitigation committees—notes from those respective meetings to follow.

V. Lastly, was a presentation from Dr. Lisa Floyd-Hanna on ‘Drought and Fire Effects in Pinon Juniper Woodlands; Lessons from Mesa Verde.’ Notes from this talk will be posted on the southwestcoloradofires.org website.

Next Meeting will be Tuesday, May 16; LPEA Boardroom.