County pays for helicopter to fight wildfires

Residents urged to sign up for alerts

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As wild re risk continues to cause concern in Colorado, Douglas County approved spending on aerial wild re- ghting resources, including helicopter use.

Outlining why the county needs the helicopter resource, a county sta memorandum noted “increasing annual re occurrence coupled with warmer and drier than average climate forecasts for 2023.”

Douglas County’s commissioners at their April 11 meeting voted to approve $1.1 million for this year’s helicopter use contract, lasting from June 1 to Oct. 31 to cover what are historically the months of highest re frequency and severity in the county, according to the memo.

“We know the biggest natural hazard threat to Douglas County is a wild re,” Commissioner Abe Laydon said in a news release.

Helicopter use goes back years e county started contracting for