Wildfire Mitigation Education at the State Capitol
CAR spreading the word to State lawmakers about wildfire education and mitigation.
While hurricanes and earthquakes have rightfully been the focus of attention for so many people in recent weeks, the path of smoke and hazy skies across a majority of the western United States reminds us all that the impact from current and future wildfires can be equally devastating.
With long-term wildfire education and mitigation efforts underway across many Colorado communities, our local and state leaders have been called upon to share their expertise and successes with state lawmakers as we continue to work toward viable solutions.
Sarah Thorsteinson, CEO of the Summit Association of REALTORS® was part of a group of industry leaders recently called upon to testify in front of the Colorado Wildfire Matters Review Committee. The interim committee of the state legislature is made up of appointed members who meet from May to December to study the state’s most timely and important issues. Through a combination of hearings and related activities, these joint House and Senate committees work to identify and recommend legislation for the upcoming session.
Carole Walker, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association and Kelly Campbell, vice president, state government relations at Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, along with Colorado Insurance Commissioner Marguerite Salazar, joined Thorsteinson to provide an update and overview of the effort from the insurance industry as well.
The committee’s first meeting, held earlier this year, focused on reviewing the Fire Prevention and Control program, an overview of the budget for Fire Coordination with the Colorado State Forest Service, as well as an overview of state mitigation issues with a focus on Boulder County’s Wildfire Partners program and the Colorado Resiliency and Recovery office.
The early September meeting focused on prescribed burns, air quality permitting, this summer’s Peak 2 Fire in Breckenridge, wildfire mitigation and the connection to insurance coverage, and the Utah budgetary system of funding wildfire mitigation and suppression.
Thorsteinson’s testimony provided details and numerous examples of REALTOR® -led programs focused on raising awareness, education, access to resources, creative use of public grants and collaboration with fire and public safety resources, insurance industry leaders, and much more.
“All of this education, advocacy, and financial assistance only happens through partnerships,” Thorsteinson said in her testimony. “Since the launch of Colorado Project Wildfire, our state and local associations have worked to develop relationships and implement programs and access to resources with numerous local Fire Departments, County Commissioners, Town Councils, U.S. and Colorado State Forest Services, Insurance Companies, Arborists, as well as the National Association of REALTORS® and Colorado Association of REALTORS®. We’ve shared ideas and have had regular conversations on how to educate the public without scaring people away from our beautiful mountain communities.”
The Colorado Association of REALTORS® Project Wildfire program is helping other local REALTOR® associations develop programs, like the Summit Association, in their communities. This summer, the Gunnison Country Association hosted a public event and toured properties that needed mitigation and properties that had defensible space. The event helped the Gunnison Association forge relationships with local fire departments and educate the public that defensible space does not mean clear cutting. It means creating a park-like setting. Defensible space can actually add real estate value to a home in a WUI (Wildland Urban Interface) setting. Local REALTOR® associations throughout the mountains are beginning to forge partnership such as these with the help of grant funding from the Colorado Association of REALTORS®.
While it’s a little too early to know what legislation may come out of these committee meetings, there’s no doubt that Thorsteinson’s testimony and presentation showed legislators the value of CAR and SAR’s work under Colorado Project Wildfire.
Our government affairs team has already heard from one legislator who is interested in seeing how the state can further support our efforts and spread this type of information and work more broadly.
As CAR members, we can be proud of our work and ability to create meaningful results that are helping to incentivize and protect homeowners as they mitigate their properties against the dangers of wildfires in Colorado.
For more information about the Wildfire Matters Review Committee or to hear the full testimony visit:
http://leg.colorado.gov/committees/wildfire-matters-review-committee/2017-regular-session
For more information about Project Wildfire visit: https://coloradorealtors.com/projectwildfire/