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Aurora fire officials outline wildfire risks, request resources and urge homeowner mitigation
Summary
Aurora Fire Department staff briefed the Public Safety Committee on wildfire preparedness, response and recovery, described the city's fire-ban stages and metrics, said grants were pending, and recommended stronger community mitigation and interagency coordination.
Aurora Fire Department leaders told the Public Safety Committee that the city has a layered approach to wildland fire risk—mitigation, response and recovery—and urged more local mitigation and resources to keep fires small and protect homes.
Division Chief Steve Wright and Assistant Chief Hunter Hackbarth presented the department's 2025 wildland update, explaining how the city decides on fire bans, how the department deploys its wildland team, and what recovery looks like after a large incident. "Part of what goes into that are three metrics that gauge the fuel moisture in a certain square feet and then the energy released by that fuel," Hunter Hackbarth said, adding that the department receives data from CU Boulder meteorology scientists to help assess those metrics.
Fire staff described a three-stage Aurora fire-ban model. Stage 1 is effectively the baseline (fireworks are illegal except for the municipal window June 15July 5). Stage 2 limits model rockets, bonfires and recreational fires. Stage 3 restricts many backyard and commercial outdoor fires and can affect smoking in public. Staff said the last time restrictions reached the most severe stage was around 2020.
On response resources, the department said its specialty wildland team includes five brush trucks and one Type 3 engine. Wright said the department's ideal resource allocation would include more Type 3 engines and explained the operational need: "With our growth and our risk in the communities we have, one thing I think is underserved in our city is the Type 3, the fire truck. That's really what would be used to protect homes," he said, later noting that he would prefer three Type 3 engines rather than the single one currently available.
Staff said they have applied for federal grants to purchase a Type 3 engine, equipment and mobile radio repeaters to improve communications in rural areas. The department confirmed it has submitted FEMA and other federal grant applications but currently has no award updates. "They have received it," one staff member said of federal grantors, but decisions appeared to be paused while federal programs were under review.
The presentation described mitigation work with other city departments and community groups. Fire personnel said they assess city-owned properties, coordinate with Parks and Recreation and the water department, and conduct on-site mitigation such as removing dead trees and mowing high grass (the department cited Hutchinson Channel as an example). Staff urged local homeowners and HOAs to trim vegetation and remove dead trees and said trimming juniper trees up 8 feet and irrigating them greatly reduces risk.
Fire staff also discussed mutual-aid and air support arrangements. The city participates with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (battalion 13) and with neighboring jurisdictions (Arapahoe and Adams counties and South Metro). Staff noted Douglas County has a helicopter resource available; South Metro mitigates unincorporated areas and the agencies would mutual-aid each other. The department said its wildland team has about 55 members and that its deployments to other states (including Los Angeles, New Mexico and Texas) provide training and experience at little or no cost to Aurora.
The recovery discussion emphasized coordination across city lifelines—public safety, shelter, water and utilities, communications and transportation—and the need for robust financial tracking to obtain state and federal reimbursement after disasters. Staff said recovery includes damage assessments, behavioral health services and working with private insurers and economic partners to restore businesses and housing.
Ending: Fire staff stressed that while Aurora has trained personnel and mutual-aid partners, large incidents can exceed local resources. They recommended continued emphasis on homeowner mitigation, intergovernmental coordination, grant-seeking for equipment and communications upgrades, and public outreach linking code enforcement and fire mitigation messaging.
