To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Tyler S. Brown, Sheriff
Prepared By:
prepared
Nathan Fogg, Director, Office of Emergency Management
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presenter
Presenter: Nathan Fogg, Director, Office of Emergency Management
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Subject:
title
Restrictions on the use of fireworks in unincorporated Arapahoe County based on high fire danger
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
Based on current evidence and predictive reports, the Office of Emergency Management is requesting that the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) make a finding of high fire danger and restrict the use of Colorado legal fireworks during the period of June 9 to July 5, 2026, with the understanding that if conditions substantially improve the restriction can be lifted.
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Alignment with Strategic Plan: Safe and Healthy Communities - Advance public safety by strengthening partnerships across law enforcement, emergency response, and community stakeholders.
Background and Discussion: The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office supported by the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) monitors fire conditions during normal fire season, and more recently during shoulder seasons, those months on the front and back end of the traditional fire season. Based on that monitoring program, OEM established a local fuels monitoring program focused on 10-hour fuels. These records can be found online and are linked to this report. The Board heard and discussed this data at their study session on June 8, 2026.
10-hour fuels are recorded twice daily Monday to Friday. Additionally, OEM accesses the closest Federal RAWS (Remote Automated Weather Station) at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal open space to track changing fuel conditions in the 1- and 10-hour model.
Fuels are measured in 1-, 10-, 100-, and 1000-hour models. In order, that correlates to plains style grass, shrubs, large brush, and fully developed trees. These measurements mean the fuel can transition from fully wet to fully dry in the ...
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