WASHINGTON, D.C. - An amendment to the farm bill could help fight fires before they start.
Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., introduced the addition to the bill Thursday that would allow states to receive federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the mitigation of wildfires.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D. Colo., co-sponsored the bill.
Currently, other natural disasters including floods, hurricanes and tornadoes are able to receive these mitigation funds from FEMA before the disasters strike. State, local and tribal agencies do receive funds through the Fire Management Assistant Grant, or FMAG, for the mitigation and control of wildfires. However, FMAGs are available only once a wildfire starts.
"Udall's amendment would allow FMAG to be used proactively rather than reactively," Udall spokesman Mike Saccone said.
Kevin Klein, director of the Colorado Division of Homeland Security, said wildfires are treated differently because they happen fast. In the case of a flood, there's more time to declare a state of emergency, he said.
"They're treated differently because you fight them differently," Klein said. "We had a flood along the Red River, and they can predict where it will crest."
In counties across Colorado, wildfire prevention is hurting local budgets.
"The threshold to access FEMA money is at a higher level, especially for counties," said Butch Knowlton, director of Emergency Preparedness for La Plata County.
"Twenty years ago, we didn't have to worry about forest fires we have today," he said.
The proactive mitigation efforts could save $4 for every $1 spent, Saccone said. Klein also cited the savings figures, saying they were findings of a study where some areas were treated with mitigation while others were not.
"The dual treatment areas have less damages and the cost is less," Klein said. "The more we mitigate, the less we have to spend down the road."