SB 22-007

Senate Bill 22-007, which has been signed into law in Colorado, aims to increase efforts to inform and motivate residents living near wildlands about how to reduce the risk of wildfires. The bill requires the state forest service to work with other agencies like the Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Forest Service to create better outreach campaigns during wildfire awareness month in 2023 and 2024, as well as throughout the year. This includes developing educational materials, organizing events, and improving online resources for residents who live in areas at high risk from wildfires. The bill also allocates $800,000 to fund these efforts starting in the 2022-23 fiscal year. This law is now active and will help educate people about how they can protect their homes and communities from wildfire risks.

Official Summary

The act requires the Colorado state forest service (forest service) to convene a working group (working group) that includes the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety (DFPC) and the United States forest service (USFS), and that may include other local, state, or federal partners and entities engaged in wildfire risk mitigation in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The working group shall consider how best to conduct enhanced outreach campaigns during wildfire awareness month in 2023 and 2024, as well as other outreach efforts that inform and motivate residents in the WUI to engage in more wildfire risk mitigation. After considering feedback from the working group, the forest service shall implement an enhanced wildfire awareness month outreach campaign in conjunction with the DFPC and the USFS in 2023 and 2024, as well as other outreach efforts in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 state fiscal years. In implementing an enhanced wildfire awareness month outreach campaign and other outreach efforts, the forest service may, subject to available appropriations: Develop or contract for the development or placement of marketing and educational materials, including videos, direct mail, social media, print media, television and radio spots, and billboards; Conduct or contract for educational events targeted to residents in the WUI; Retain consultants, as necessary, to implement all or part of an outreach campaign, as well as other outreach efforts; Make enhancements to the forest service's web-based clearinghouse for technical assistance and funding resources and coordinate with working group partners and other entities to provide links to web-based educational resources and information; and Secure necessary staff to implement the outreach efforts. The act requires the state forester to report to the wildfire matters review committee during the 2023 and 2024 legislative interims concerning the outreach efforts implemented pursuant to the act, including the amount and use of money appropriated for outreach efforts and the impact of those efforts in increasing awareness of wildfire risk mitigation in the WUI. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $800,000 from the general fund to the healthy forest and vibrant communities fund for use by the Colorado state forest service in implementing the act. The act also authorizes the appropriation of money to the DFPC as necessary to implement the outreach plan. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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