March 19, 2009: SB 1 bill signing

  Senator Dan Gibbs

 

SEN. GIBBS’ AND REP. SCANLAN’S IMPORTANT WILDFIRE BILL (SB-1) SIGNED INTO LAW
Governor Bill Ritter signs package of 5 Dem. bills including SB-1

DENVER—  Today, SB 1, which establishes community wildfire protection plans throughout the state, was signed into law by Governor Bill Ritter with the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Dan Gibbs (D-Summit County) and Representative Christine Scanlan (D-Summit County), standing beside him. 

“As a wildland firefighter I know how important community prevention plans are in terms public safety for the citizens of Colorado,” said Sen. Gibbs.  “I am happy that this bill was signed by the Governor today and will soon be in place to help communities when wildfires start.  The fact this bill was chosen as SB-1 highlights how important this issue is.  It will help communities prioritize, prevent, and prepare for wildfires in their area.  We need to make sure we protect schools, homes, churches, and other places where people gather. With 2 million acres of dead lodge-pole pine and about 1 million Coloradans who live in the wildland urban interface, SB 1 will bring the tools, resources and assistance to help people prepare for the worst.”

“Having a preparedness plan ready to go before firefighters hit the ground to battle a wildfire will help tremendously in emergency situations,” Rep. Scanlan said. “Colorado has more than 22 million acres of forested land, and with the threat of fire due to the dead lodge-pole pine, we need to take these steps now to protect our natural habitat and Coloradans who are living within the wildland urban interface.”

Senator Gibbs co-sponsored legislation in the 2008 session to establish a Wildfire Interim Committee, which he chaired.  Rep. Scanlan was the Vice-Chair of the Wildfire Committee.  This Committee created the four bills addressing the pressing issues of wildfire safety in Colorado which were introduced in the Senate on January 7, 2009, the first day of the legislative session.  Unfortunately, that same day a wildfire burned through Boulder County. 

Governor Bill Ritter signed five bills today:
• House Bill 1004 (Apuan/Boyd), PACE Organizations Employ Physicians
• House Bill 1023 (Gagliardi & Swalm/Boyd), Blood Donations by Minors
• House Bill 1078 (Ryden/Hodge), Foster Parent Training
• House Bill 1090 (Rice/Williams), Deaf Interpreters Title Unauthorized Use
• Senate Bill 1 (Gibbs/Scanlan), Community Wildfire Protection Plans