Governor John Hickenlooper says he’s entered into ‘initial talks’ with other western governors about sharing a regional aerial firefighting fleet.
The governor emphasized the idea for a regional aerial firefighting fleet is ‘preliminary,’ and was discussed during the Western Governors’ Association meeting in Utah last week.
Colorado lawmakers passed a bill this year for a state firefighting fleet, but there were no funds budgeted to support it.
Hickenlooper also urged residents across the state to be aware of fire danger going into the Fourth of July holiday, and to check with their local governments to know what burning restrictions are in place. Unlike last year, there is no statewide ban in place.
With several large wildfires already destroying hundreds of homes this fire season, the Governor also stressed that homeowners who live in the wildland- urban interface work to expand mitigation efforts around their property.
