In my opinion, Boulder County needs to review its procedures regarding Stage 2 Fire Restrictions. The county should expedite, when reasonably necessary, the enactment of Stage 2 restrictions. Also, the County should consider increasing the base $500 fine for violating the Stage 2 restrictions. For example, in Western Australia, a Total Fire Ban (TFB) is declared “when fires are most likely to threaten lives and property.” TFB-prohibited activities are stricter than our Stage 2 restrictions. During a TFB all activities involving outdoor open flame and sparks are banned … this includes a ban on outdoor smoking and the use of outdoor propane grills. Upon conviction of breaching a TFB, a penalty of a fine of up to $25,000 (approx. $16,500 USD) and/or 12 months of jail is assessed. Boulder County should enact and publicize more serious penalties for violation of fire ban restrictions.

In my opinion, announcing a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Stage 2 regulation violator(s) would be helpful.

Here is a timeline of the recent fires:

• July 29: The Alexander Mountain Fire west of Loveland started and 26 homes were ultimately destroyed.

• July 30: The Stone Canyon Fire near Lyons started. The fire destroyed several homes and caused one fatality. A red flag warning was in effect. At this point, it should have become obvious that conditions were such that wildfires were likely to threaten both lives and property.

• July 30: At approximately 9 p.m. the Quarry Fire in Jefferson County broke out.

• July 30-31: I started calling and emailing whomever I could think of, to encourage Boulder County to issue Stage 2 Fire restrictions (which would also initiate a ban on charcoal fires in Eldorado Canyon State Park).

• July 31: At approximately 2:30 p.m. the Lake Shore Fire by Gross Reservoir started. The allegedly human-caused fire destroyed one home. Would Stage 2 restrictions have prevented this fire? (Weren’t most of these recent Front Range fires human-caused?)

• July 31: A fire started by fireworks at Panorama Point. Firefighters were on the scene quickly to extinguish this fire.

• August 1: Boulder County Sheriff finally issues Stage 2 fire restrictions.

I found some of my conversations on July 31 troubling. A gentleman at the Mountain View Fire Department told me that they could only ask the sheriff’s office “politely” for the Stage 2 fire restrictions. While I do agree politeness is a good thing, it seems to me the firefighters are the ones risking life and limb to protect the public. They should probably be considered to be the experts on wildland fires and have more say in the matter.

I also spoke to a woman at the Sheriff’s Department on July 31. She told me that the sheriff was very busy with the current fires and didn’t have time for the Stage 2 paperwork. If this is true and a real reason for not enacting Stage 2 fire restrictions, I would suggest that this type of delay needs to be avoided in the future. A process could be delegated to administrative staff allowing the sheriff to be free to perform his important duties

Given that global warming has demonstrated that we can expect more frequent and more intense wildfires, I believe that Boulder County needs to be more proactive in issuing Stage 2 fire restrictions and have processes in place that are more timely. Boulder County shouldn’t be fiddling with paperwork while the Front Range is burning.

Finally, my thanks go out to the Eldorado Canyon State Park rangers and staff for their diligence and hard work in monitoring the park and ensuring its safety, and of course the brave firefighters and first responders who risk their lives every time a fire breaks out.

Rick Marshall lives in Eldorado Springs.