Caption: Homes burned by the Waldo Canyon Fire are seen west of Colorado Springs, Colorado June 27, 2012. Firefighters struggled on Wednesday against a wildfire at the edge of Colorado Springs that doubled in size overnight and has forced 32,000 people from their homes, prompted evacuations from the U.S. Air Force Academy and consumed an unknown number of homes. REUTERS/Rick Wilking
Question as valid elsewhere in the West as in Colorado:
That leaves tough questions for governments, homeowners, and even the private sector. Among them:
Who should bear the cost of firefighting efforts given dwindling federal money?
Can foresters — as well as homeowners — do more wildfire mitigation work, and how might it be paid for?
Given the hodgepodge of local ordinances, would Colorado be better served by statewide fire-readiness standards for homes constructed in the WUI?
Should property insurers mandate — and monitor — defensible space as a condition of issuing policies?
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