Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wildfire Prevention topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County fire official reports fewer local human-start wildfires, outlines CWS budget and mitigation projects
Summary
Iron County fire official reported a drop in local human-start wildfires so far in 2025, outlined prevention efforts and described a $578,000 Cooperative Wildland Fire program (CWS) allocation focused on mitigation and preparedness.
Spencer Rolo, who presented the county’s fire update, said he ran incident statistics through July 9 and reported 7 human-start fires in unincorporated private lands in 2025 and zero natural (lightning) starts in that same span; the total countywide fire count including federal agencies was 22, he said.
“Some statistical causes of the fire is debris burning…we continue to have issues with folks not realizing that they are required to have a burn permit,” Spencer said, noting escaped debris burns and an escaped campfire among causes. He described ongoing public-education efforts including HOA outreach and a fire message included in the July 1 property tax mailer.
Spencer walked commissioners through the county’s CWS participation. Iron County’s contribution (PC) to remain in the CWS program with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands increased to $578,000 for 2025, he said. The CWS budget allocations Spencer cited included roughly $52,000 for prevention and education (to date $407 spent), $166,000 for preparedness (to date about $45,811) and $360,000 for mitigation (to date about $243,164, or roughly 42%).
Spencer described current mitigation activity at Antelope Springs, a 185‑acre watershed project the county is performing with county equipment; 75 acres were completed at the time of the report and the county is using in‑kind hours to make matching contributions. He said the department purchased a skid steer with a mastication head and is using two mastication machines on the project.
Other mitigation work includes outreach to utilities and continuation of fuels‑reduction projects. Spencer said the county will review and update its Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) in the coming months and align CWS spending with CWPP goals.
Commissioners asked questions about the Antelope Springs work and equipment; Spencer said the county is using a combination of in‑house equipment and some contractor hand treatments in more constrained areas. No formal action was taken.
