The El Paso County Sheriff's Office Wildland Team is diligently working with our local municipality leaders and county agencies to coordinate fire mitigation efforts and hazard fuel reduction throughout the county.  

A long-range plan with El Paso County Parks focuses on improving the overall health of the forest by removing diseased and fire damaged trees.  This creates fire breaks in the forest which reduces the intensity in which the fire burns.  The strategy provides better access for fire personnel, improves structural survivability, and reduces the risk that damaged trees pose to hiking trails and recreational areas.

We are also assisting our DoD partners at Fort Carson with prescribed fires. These controlled fires reduce fuels available to burn during wildland fires.  This allows fire personnel to fight the fire on their terms rather than the fire burning out of control and managing them.

We will continue to collaborate and support our partners on a regional and national scale whenever called upon.   This summer, the Wildland Team deployed fire personnel to assist with fire suppression nationally and throughout the State of Colorado. 

We would like to thank the US Forest Service, El Paso County Parks and local military installations and fire departments for their continued support and cooperation with fire mitigation efforts.