The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Discussion came as county adopted new hazard mitigation plan
[ By Katherine Nettles ]
Given the dry, windy conditions prevalent in the county lately and the occurrence of a fire up Kebler Pass, albeit short-lived, last week, there is talk of re-imposing fire restrictions for a third time this year.
Gunnison County commissioners discussed the possibility of fire restrictions with Gunnison County emergency director Scott Morrill on Tuesday, October 20 as they approved an updated hazard mitigation plan for the county.
Fire suppression and fire mitigation are among the key hazards identified in the new plan, and are on top of many minds these days as fires continue to break out within the county, state and around the western United States.
“We might get the fire council together for another meeting soon to discuss reinstating fire restrictions,” suggested Morrill. The commissioners agreed they could make room for a special meeting to address that need if asked.
The natural hazard plan is supposed to be updated every five years or so, and was last done in 2013.
“We opted to do this [update] in house, rather than hiring a contractor,” said Morrill. “It took a lot of time… I don’t think we’ll do that again,” he said, although he said his department got a lot out of the process for a one-time effort.
“The plan identifies threats and risks that we face in the county and also all the communities within the county. Using a series of formulas that FEMA came up with, we measure possible impacts from life safety issues to environmental impacts,” he said.
Within the plan, sections four and five are the primary units of focus. Section four describes the various natural hazard threats facing the county’s populations and environment, while section five identifies mitigation steps to reduce or eliminate those hazards.
