Wildfire Prevention

Though considered a "last resort," more companies are making the decision to cut power when they fear weather conditions could make a wildfire more likely.

Preventing wildfires seems like a never-ending battle in Colorado. Now cities across the Front Range have a secret weapon – herds of goats that graze on dense brush before it becomes fuel for fires. We hear more about this innovative approach on today’s episode of In The NoCo.

The program is a partnership between the Western Colorado Conservation Corps, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service. It prepares young women for wildland firefighting jobs with federal agencies.

Wildfire risk continues to impact tens of thousands of people in Northern Colorado. On today's episode of In the NoCo, we hear from a wildfire economist with Colorado State University about the risks homeowners face – and what people can do to protect their property.

Wildfire mitigation has big financial and environmental costs. KUNC's Emma VandenEinde says an ecological alternative is sprouting in Boulder.

After a relatively slow start, the fire season in the United States is now in full swing. With dozens of uncontrolled large fires burning across the country, the news is again full of images of homes and other structures reduced to blackened foundations. At a demonstration garden in southwest Idaho, one group hopes to educate homeowners and others on the many steps that can be taken to prepare their property for wildfires.

Advocates are hopeful that a legislative fix will come in time to avoid pay cuts, but for now thousands of federal firefighters are out on the line with the Sept. 30 deadline fast approaching.

A bill that would permanently raise federal wildland firefighter pay has been introduced in the U.S. House, with bipartisan backing. While not the comprehensive reform many wanted, advocates are hopeful that the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act can be passed in time to avoid substantial pay cuts.

When wildfires burn, it seems like the flames go everywhere and it can be difficult to predict their path. Engineers from Colorado State University developed a model to help with those predictions.

Among the legislative solutions to the looming wildland firefighter pay cliff is the recently introduced Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act, which would create permanent raises. However, some advocates are concerned that even with the legislation, many firefighters could still see substantial cuts when funding for temporary raises runs out at the end of September.