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<br />Issue CotS: Fire Engines <br />Background: Federal excess equipment is re,fabricated and equipped by Colorado <br />State Forest Service and loaned to COWlties and fIre departmentsfor wildfIre ClHlLroI. This <br />has been the backbone of state and local wildland frrefIghting effort since the 1950s. <br />Approximately 150 state frre engines are in use. In 1988, the Colorado State Forest <br />Service began a replacemenL program with newer and faster diesel-engine vehicles. With <br />foam equipment, these state engines bave good capability in inLerface fIres but are too <br />few in number for needed interface protection. <br /> <br />Action Element: Upgrade and increase CSFS state frre engine fleeL LO further enhance <br />local frrefIghting capability in interface areas. Develop and refme strike team procedures <br />for both wildland and local strucLura! frre engines. <br /> <br />Agencies: Colorado State ForesL Service *r local frre departments, Division ofFrre <br />Safety, US ForeSL Service. <br /> <br />Estimated Costs: $250,000 annually for frre engine fleet upgrades; $10,000 annually <br />for engine strike team training and coordination. <br /> <br />Funding Sources: State general fund appropriations. <br /> <br />Schedule: Ongoing each year. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Issue C-t6: Fire Weather Stations <br />Background: Approximately 50 seasonal fIre weather stations are currently supplying <br />data about daily weather and fIre danger in Colorado. The National Weather Service <br />utilizes this data to provide fIre weather forecasts. Twenty,six of the fIre weather stations <br />are manually operated, can be unreliable and do not provide round,the-clock infOlTIlation. <br />Gaps in coverage occur in some remoLe areas. More automatic fire weather stations are <br />needed. <br /> <br />Action Element: Seek input from locaVstatelfederal ftrefighting agencies and National <br />Weather Service lHl specific location needs and install automatic fire weather stations. <br /> <br />Provide Wlifonn training of weather observers to assure manual readings are consistent <br />and accurate, especially when frres are nearby. <br /> <br />All stations be calibrated and maintained annually. <br /> <br />Agencies: <br />~ - National Weather Service *r federal, state and local fIre agencies. <br />Installation - US ForesL Service, Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State <br />Forest Service, counties *r National Weather Service. <br />Trainin2 - weather station owners *r National Weather Service. <br /> <br />Estimated Costs: $12,000 for each automatic station equipment plus installatilHl and <br />maintenance. <br /> <br />Funding Sources: COWlty, state or federal budgeted funds or special grants. <br /> <br />Schedule: Ongoing for all actions. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />,. <br /> <br />34 <br />