KVNF's Lisa Young spoke with Nikki Carpenter, Public Information Officer, on the multi-agency wildland fire exercise taking place on Saturday, April 1, 2023 on Redlands Mesa.
PRESS RELEASE:
Hotchkiss, Colorado - On April 1, 2023, Hotchkiss Fire District, in collaboration with Delta County Emergency Management, the Southwest Incident Management Team, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC), the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), and multiple neighboring fire districts and departments, will demonstrate a full-scale wildland fire response.
The subject area will be around Redlands Mesa and 3100 Road, where the Leroux Creek drainage north of Highway 92 forms a steep, south-facing canyon that often aligns with prevailing winds. The vegetation in the canyon is juniper and sagebrush, which when dry is highly receptive to fire. In the event of a fire, the alignment of topography, fuels, and wind would rapidly carry flames up the canyon walls toward homes along the escarpment, making this area one of the highest wildfire risks within the fire district.
Several landowners have agreed to allow firefighters to perform assessments on their properties. Their assessments will determine the safety and feasibility of defending each property against an approaching wildfire. Other community members have volunteered to participate in a mock evacuation. They will receive a notification from the Delta County Alerts system and report to a nearby evacuation center.
This exercise will allow participating agencies to become more familiar with each other’s operating procedures and demonstrate their skills in a realistic scenario. Agencies that train together work together more efficiently and effectively, so they can be at their best when lives and property depend on it.
hotchkiss Fire and its partners thank the community for their support and cooperation during this critical exercise.