{"id":2457009,"date":"2020-04-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=324151"},"modified":"2020-04-10T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-10T06:00:00","slug":"fire-bans-enacted-in-pitkin-eagle-counties-to-protect-fire-responders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/fire-bans-enacted-in-pitkin-eagle-counties-to-protect-fire-responders\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire bans enacted in Pitkin, Eagle counties to protect fire responders"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wildfires-atd-041020-2-1-768x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wildfires-atd-041020-2-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wildfires-atd-041020-2-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wildfires-atd-041020-2-1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wildfires-atd-041020-2-1.jpg 1333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"><figcaption><strong>A firefighter works hotspots on a wildland fire off of Snowmass Creek Road on Wednesday. Snowmass Ski Area is visible in the background.<\/strong><br \/><em>Roaring Fork Fire Rescue\/courtesy photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">Pitkin and Eagle counties followed the U.S. Forest Service lead on Thursday by issuing a fire ban that was prompted more by the threat of COVID-19 than conditions on the ground.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Stage 1 fire bans in both counties go into effect 12:01 a.m. Saturday and will remain in place until further notice. The counties\u2019 bans affect all state, public, private, incorporated and unincorporated lands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo and Eagle County Sheriff James Van Beek ordered the bans with the support of fire chiefs in the two counties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In a statement, DiSalvo said, \u201cAlthough we typically use data to guide us in making these decisions, these current restrictions are being enacted in response to the possibility of diminished law, fire and EMS resources due to the COVID-19 state of emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/at-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A spokeswoman for the Eagle County Sheriff\u2019s Office said Thursday the same Stage 1 ban will be enacted there. The Sheriff\u2019s Office was working on a notice as of press time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Scott Thompson, fire chief for Roaring Fork Fire Rescue, applauded the sheriffs\u2019 action.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s about keeping our firefighters healthy and safe,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Firefighters and other first responders are at risk of catching and spreading the coronavirus every time an incident requires them to gather in large numbers, he said. The agencies cannot afford to have their ranks decreased at a time when demand for services is spiking. Some of the firefighters also are emergency medical technicians that respond by ambulance to medical calls.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019re really getting impacted by medical calls,\u201d Thompson said, estimating there are one or two calls daily for coronavirus-related cases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The fire bans come on the heels of two wildfires in the midvalley on Wednesday (see related story). Roaring Fork Fire Rescue sent 15 firefighters to a wildland fire near Shield-O-Mesa off Snowmass Creek Road in the afternoon \u2014 creating the type of gathering that Thompson wants to avoid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While there is still ample snow in the high country and even lower, north-facing slopes, dead vegetation has dried out in the valley floor and on south-facing slopes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThey\u2019re very dry and with the wind, people need to be really careful,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The fire ban applies to the following persons and activities:<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire except within a developed recreation site, or improved site to include a fire ring\/pit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, or building, at a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area of at least 3 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">Operating or using an internal or external combustion engine without an approved spark-arresting device properly installed, maintained, and in effective working order meeting either the U.S. Forest Service Standards or appropriate Society of Automotive Engineers recommended practices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">Use of any personal fireworks or explosive requiring fuses or blasting caps, including exploding targets, as defined by Colorado Revised Statute 12-28-101 (8).<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Exemptions will be made for anyone with a written permit from the sheriffs or the fire district where a fire is sought.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Also, uses still allowed include a liquid fuel or gas fuel stove, fireplaces within buildings, charcoal grill fires at private residences and fires located within permanent fire pits or fire grates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Rocky Mountain Region of the U.S. Forest Service announced Tuesday that fires are prohibited until further notice on national forest lands in Colorado. The Bureau of Land Management hasn\u2019t announced fire restrictions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:scondon@aspentimes.com\">scondon@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/fire-bans-enacted-in-pitkin-eagle-counties-to-protect-fire-responders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A firefighter works hotspots on a wildland fire off of Snowmass Creek Road on Wednesday. Snowmass Ski Area is visible in the background.Roaring Fork Fire Rescue\/courtesy photo Pitkin and Eagle counties followed the U.S. Forest Service lead on Thursday by issuing a fire ban that was prompted more by the threat of COVID-19 than conditions [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2457009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 05:00:50","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2457009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457009\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2457009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2457009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2457009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}