During late spring and early summer, rising temperatures mean the rising risk of wildfires.
The Manitou Springs Public Services Department and Manitou Springs Fire Department are working with Team Rubicon, a veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during and after disasters and crises. Members will perform mitigation efforts at the city reservoir and in locations throughout town to clear dangerous conditions on city-owned properties.
Additionally, the city of Manitou Springs is making every effort to create relationships with the U.S. Forest Service and the city of Colorado Springs to find opportunities of mutual benefit in areas such as Ruxton Canyon and throughout our watershed.
Most specifically, our primary focus is on efforts to ensure we create sustainable environments for the storage and transmission of our community’s water supply.
Along with those collaborations, the city provides opportunities through Chipper Days (May 4 and again in the fall), scheduled neighborhood chipping events (check ManitouSpringsCO.gov/WoodChipping for your zone dates), and the ongoing treatment of city-owned property (organized and scheduled according to the threat to life and property).
Our fire department also provides services and education to our businesses and homeowners on how they can better manage their properties to reduce risks from wildfires.
Schedule one-on-one visits with MSFD.
Residents are invited to schedule one-on-one visits with MSFD for property assessments, and act on recommendations as physical or financial ability allows. Also, residents can encourage neighbors to act and create a neighborhood plan.
Learn more about the available tools at ManitouSpringsCO.gov/FireMitigation.
The most important resources available to protect our community are proactive residents and business owners.
Although many will place the emphasis of responsibility on the city, its leaders and its first responders, they don’t have legal rights to dictate how individuals or businesses configure their properties to create a sustainable and fire adaptive community. There are no mitigation requirements codified that empower the city to act on individual properties.
Our fire department communicates and shares in the responsibility with local, regional, state and federal partners to remain prepared for and respond to wildfires.
At the end of the day, it is up to our community members to improve their properties, to share their knowledge and desires with their neighbors and homeowner’s associations, and create a neighborhood force that inspires action across the community.
Through this kind of team effort, we can all be guardians of the peak.