Mayor Yemi Mobolade and the Colorado Springs Fire Department announced on April 29 significant progress in wildfire mitigation efforts during a press conference near the Waldo Canyon burn scar area along Rampart Range Road. City leaders said there is an urgent need for continued community action due to current elevated fire risk conditions.
The issue is important as the city faces record-low moisture, low humidity, and record-breaking temperatures that increase wildfire risk. Recent suspected human-caused fires in Palmer Park and Broadmoor Bluffs highlight the need for both prevention and preparedness.
“Since 2022, mitigation efforts have increased by 60 percent, our chipping program has grown by nearly 80 percent, and we’ve more than doubled the number of neighborhoods engaged in this work,” said Mayor Yemi Mobolade. “That is real progress, and it’s making our community safer. But just as important, this progress belongs to our residents, who are stepping up every day to share in the responsibility of protecting their homes and neighborhoods.”
Fire Chief Randy Royal said: “This is the worst fire season I have seen in my career as a firefighter. The work our Wildfire Mitigation Section and our community have done on mitigation is exactly what it takes to building a strong layer of protection around our city. Mitigation is not the finish line. It is a critical layer of defense, and the risks right now is still very real. We cannot let our guard down.”
The city reported that since voter approval of Ballot Issue 2D in 2021—which provided $20 million for mitigation without raising taxes—the annual acres treated through various programs increased from about 1,800 per year (2010-2021) to nearly 3,000 per year (2022-2025), marking a sixty percent rise. The chipping program nearly doubled its average homes served each year compared with previous years; cost-share stipend work completed over four years surpassed totals from eleven prior years; over thirty-two thousand acres have been treated since 2010; outreach expanded from sixty-six homeowner associations or neighborhoods to one hundred forty-three; homeowners contributed more than two hundred twenty thousand hours clearing vegetation since 2022.
Major completed projects include Stratton Open Space (266.7 acres), Palmer Park (136.5 acres), Cedar Heights (181.4 acres), Golden Hills HOA (5 acres). Ongoing projects are underway at Blodgett Open Space (140 out of154 acres complete), Gold Stage (130 out of407 complete), Cheyenne Mountain State Park (63 out of119 complete).
Alongside these efforts, officials urge residents to follow steps outlined by Ready, Set, Go: preparing homes ahead of time by reducing fuels or creating evacuation plans; staying alert for changing conditions; evacuating promptly when directed.
Mobolade said: “Wildfire safety is a shared responsibility…it takes all of us working together to reduce risk and protect our community.”
The city will continue investing in mitigation work while strengthening emergency coordination so residents remain informed about how best stay safe.
