Increase Wildfire Risk Mitigation Outreach Efforts

Wildfire Matters Review Committee. The bill 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 wildfire awareness month outreach campaigns 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. The working group's considerations also include how best to distribute educational resources and information and which methods of outreach are most effective in reaching the targeted audience.

After considering feedback from the working group, and subject to available appropriations, 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.

If necessary to implement the outreach plan, the bill authorizes the general assembly to appropriate money to the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety.

The bill 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 bill, 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 bill appropriates $600,473 from the general fund to the healthy forest and vibrant communities fund for use by the Colorado state forest service in implementing the bill.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)