The House approved a measure Monday ensuring funds to help fight wildfires in Colorado.

Senate Bill 238, sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Nicholson, D-Black Hawk and Reps. Don Coram, R-Montrose, and Roger Wilson, D-Glenwood Springs, extends a funding stream for providing tools for firefighters—with intergovernmental cooperation and pooled resources.

The money comes from the federal government out of federal mineral lease funds, amounting to $3.25 million annually. The program provides for training and the acquisition of equipment that is cost-prohibitive to an individual community on its own.

Richard Homann of the Colorado State Forest Service told the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Energy Committee in April that the intergovernmental aspect is crucial for firefighters in combating wildfires that blaze across jurisdictional boundaries

“Wildfires do not respect political boundaries, and under this funding scenario it allows for cooperation between local governments,” said Homann.

Wilson said the bill is vital both to his district, and to the state as a whole.

“This bill is critical for the people, historic landscapes, and vital watersheds of the Roaring Fork Valley, as well as the safety of our communities,” said Wilson.

The bill specifies that the money will go directly to the program—off the top of the dollars that come in—before the money is distributed by the Department of Local Affairs.

Sen. Ted Harvey said he agrees that the money should come off the top in a fixed amount

“This funding (Federal Mineral Lease dollars) stream is more like peaks and valleys, not rolling hills,” said Harvey. “It’s better for this to come off the top.”

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