ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — For the past seven months, Emergency Management Coordinator Jared Parker has been taking ‘field trips’ to a whole new level. He’s been tasked with collecting field samples and analyzing weather data throughout Arapahoe County.
“We just identified that there was a hole here, that we didn't have this data, we didn't have the capability for understanding the fires to the point that we wanted to,” he said.
Parker collects different types of samples a few times a week, then takes them back to the office of emergency management, where he inputs and analyzes the moisture content using a series of graphs.
“We'll see in the next couple of weeks what summer has in store for us,” he said.
The new initiative will help experts better predict fire behavior and danger in the county.
“It's important for us because we have a lot of communities, a lot of homes, that are adjoining to the grasslands,” he said.
Fire experts say grassland fires tend to burn at a much faster rate than forest fires.
The Marshall Fire is a prime example.
Arapahoe County has had a few close calls, too.
Last summer, a grassland fire near Byers destroyed one home and seven outbuildings.
The fire continued to grow rapidly and erratically as it burned through dry fuel and was pushed by the wind.
“I think the aftermath of that was us wanting to understand the problem a little bit [more],” he added.
The data will play a pivotal role in the coming weeks as the county considers a potential fireworks ban, depending on fire danger conditions.
Although it’s still in the early stages, the county eventually hopes to launch a public dashboard, allowing you to view this data in real time.
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