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Larimer County sheriff warns of early, elevated wildfire risk and asks board to let him impose bans unilaterally
Summary
Sheriff John Fan told Larimer County commissioners that fuel-moisture and drought indices are trending poorly and said he will ask the board to change county ordinance so he can implement fire restrictions immediately and return later for ratification.
Sheriff John Fan warned Larimer County commissioners on Feb. 25 that drought and low fuel-moisture readings make an early and active wildfire season likely and signaled he will ask the board to change county rules so he can enact fire restrictions without first reconvening the commissioners.
Fan, presenting a county dashboard, said the county’s thousand-hour fuel moisture is about 12.7% and that ‘‘our thousand-hour fuels are drier than the 2x4 you buy at Home Depot,’’ an illustration he used to underscore how dry large woody fuels are in the county. Fan said county-wide indices are ‘‘trending poorly’’ and that the National Weather Service forecast for the next 30–45 days points to hotter, drier conditions.
The sheriff said he will propose an ordinance change to allow the sheriff to impose fire restrictions immediately and then bring that action before the board for ratification within a short statutory window, describing the change as following the ‘‘Boulder County model.’’ He told the commissioners that under current Larimer County practice a ban requires reconvening the board, a 24-hour public notice posting and then a meeting, a delay he said can hinder rapid response when resources are stressed.
Commissioners questioned how recent snowfall and western-slope runoff affect local fire risk. Fan and Emergency Management Director Lori Hodgees explained that snow pumped to reservoirs can help water supplies but does not quickly raise local fuel moistures in the short term, so water-resupply benefits do not eliminate near-term fire danger.
The commissioners also discussed resource availability if a large fire season develops. Commissioner John Kafalus and Sheriff Fan noted that basing of single-engine air tankers is time-sensitive; Kafalus urged advocacy after learning a planned resurfacing at FNL could displace airtanker operations and lengthen response times during a critical season.
No ordinance change was voted on at the Feb. 25 meeting. Fan said he expects to return to the board with a formal proposal and that county attorney review will be part of that process. The board scheduled a follow-up briefing on March 30 to discuss preparedness plans and the proposed change in how fire restrictions are implemented.
