Committee advances bill to add county links on state wildfire information site

Senate Bill 20 five-fifteen, introduced in committee by Representative Morrow, would require the Division of Fire Prevention and Control within the Colorado Department of Public Safety to include direct hyperlinks to county-level emergency websites on the state’s wildfire information and resource center.

Supporters told the committee the change would centralize timely, localized wildfire information while leaving counties responsible for maintaining their own pages. Representative Morrow described the measure as “very simple” and said it would “enhance public access to timely, localized wildfire and emergency updates,” while allowing counties to retain control of their own information.

San Miguel County Commissioner Lance Waring, testifying for Colorado Communities for Climate Action, described his county as “prone to wildfire” because of beetle-killed high‑alpine forests in the east and flammable pinyon‑juniper and sage in the west. Waring said recent incidents — including a March 2 controlled burn that spread to an outbuilding near Norwood — underscore the need for easy public access to emergency updates. “It’s essential for the public to have easy access to information during an emergency, especially a wildfire,” he said.

Committee members asked why a statutory change was needed rather than a website update. Morrow said agencies had asked the legislature to act and characterized the bill as a straightforward, low‑bureaucracy fix to improve statewide wildfire preparedness. Representative Smith said recent coverage of California fires and local experience with the Marshall Fire reinforced the bill’s importance.

After a brief recess to await members, Representative Morrow moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation; Representative Johnson seconded. The committee recorded a unanimous favorable recommendation, passing the motion 12–0 with one member excused.

The bill, as discussed in committee, would require the Division of Fire Prevention and Control’s public-facing wildfire information site to coordinate with counties and post hyperlinks to county emergency pages. The measure does not remove county control over content; committee discussion repeatedly stressed counties would maintain their own information. Witnesses and sponsors said the change aims to make it quicker for residents to find county‑specific evacuation, sheltering and resource information during wildfire events.

No amendments were offered in committee and only one remote witness testified. Committee members offered no substantive edits at the hearing and moved the bill forward to the Committee of the Whole.