Special to the HT
MEEKER | Sandwiched between two “Red Flag Warnings,” Rio Blanco County safety officials held a community education “Fire Ready” forum last Thursday in Meeker to raise awareness for fire preparation. It’s not a matter of “if” but “when” the next fire hits, reiterated multiple speakers, including Rio Blanco County Sheriff Anthony Mazzola and Curtis Keetch with the U.S. Forest Service.
Multiple government agencies and support groups were in attendance. The Meeker Ecology International student group held a bake sale, while CSU Extension handed out “seed bombs,” ping-pong size dirt balls packed with range-grass seeds, ready to be pitched into existing burn zones. Yampa Valley United Way informed residents of evacuation and support services, stressing that while their title says “Yampa Valley” they also represent Rio Blanco, and were here for the Lee and Elk fires providing clean-up tools, blankets, and for many evacuees, a safe place to stay. Area firefighters were also in attendance with their trucks, ready to answer any questions attendees had.
The “Ready. Set. Go.” protocols will again be in place for area residents, but Sheriff Mazzola and Communications Supervisor Rhawnie McGruder both emphasized that the zones won’t be the same. The fire zones will depend entirely on the weather conditions, fire location, fire behavior and other currently unknown factors.
What is known is that Northwestern Colorado is experiencing a record-breaking, catastrophic drought, now in the “exceptional” category — the worst in the nation outside the currently burning Florida Panhandle area — making it ripe for explosive fire conditions and serious water shortages.
Mazzola pointed out that Rio Blanco County residents are incredibly fortunate in that early founders in the county established a taxing district covering the county to make fighting wildland fires less complex and more efficient. “We are one of the few counties that are blessed with this,” Mazzola said. He described the situation in a variety of counties like Moffat where they are served by multiple fire districts and as a result have dead zones where an ambiguity of jurisdiction can make fighting emerging fires difficult.
“We don’t have that problem,” he said.
Rio Blanco County Emergency Manager Rich Garner was next to present. Garner, with a career in law enforcement, said, “I know what some of you are like. You are like my wife. Ya just gotta do the dishes. Just leave the dishes and go.”
Garner told residents: “Make a plan; sign up for alerts; who is with you, and where are you going; create a to-go kit with medications, documents, and whatever you need to be safely away from home; take a checklist; coordinate with family. And know your role.
“It’s really important to stay alert, prepare your home, load your vehicle, and confirm your route. And check in on others.”
Garner stressed situational awareness, getting ahead, and to not wait for an evac order to leave. “There are communication dead-zones in Rio Blanco County. We have communication challenges. They’re getting better, but they’re not perfect. “Look out for others.”
Chris Reidinger from White River Electric Association (WREA) also discussed preparation currently underway by the WREA. He said there were three possible courses that WREA has considered: 1. Doing nothing; 2. Middle of the road mitigation; 3. Shutting down. WREA has chosen middle of the road mitigation and will move to enhanced powerline safety settings, making sure combustible materials like trees are cleared from powerlines to manage fire settings, meaning outages will be more frequent, larger, and longer. “We want to do everything to avoid starting a fire,” he said.
Bill Mills, Director of the Bureau of Land Management Field Office, announced the creation of two more weather stations to help better predict fire-weather conditions. So far, according to Mills, the BLM has seeded 24,000 acres by air and another 5,000 acres by hand. He mentioned briefly that BLM was working to get access to the Black Diamond Mine and assist with mitigation efforts there. Lynn Lockwood, spokesperson for Rio Blanco County said there would be a community information meeting in the near future focused specifically on the mine.
Mills noted that there is currently a reorganization effort going on in BLM, but he doesn’t think that anyone will notice much of a difference in the local office.
Mills also said that BLM is in the process of meeting and collaborating with its permittees. When asked about those who bordered BLM but were not permittees, he said, “That’s next.”
Keetch, speaking on behalf of the US Forest Service Blanco Ranger District, said in 2025 there were 37 wildland fires in Colorado; 22 were human caused by everything from trailer safety chains dragging on the highway to unattended campfires. He said the Grand Junction Air Center dropped 1.7 million gallons of fire retardant in 2025. Current Forest Service priorities are to protect private lands adjacent to forest lands first, and proactively harden homes and surrounding lands against fires.
One of his greatest concerns is the timber stand on Big Ridge next to the White River. “That’s my nightmare scenario. If that burns it threatens the whole water supply to Rangely.”
“Abandoned camp fires are our biggest challenge. We’ve already put out two recently.”
Rhawnie McGruder was last to present, urging residents to navigate to trusted official sites for most current and accurate information. “When you go to Facebook, look for the Rio Blanco County Sheriff Facebook page with the badge. That’s our official page.”
Lynn Lockwood, the Rio Blanco County Public Information Coordinator closed the meeting, inviting attendees to look for the new website which is expected to be operational by July. She said, “I know everyone accesses apps to check for the latest information on fires. But remember, context matters. A lot of times those apps are managed by people who don’t live here. Use trusted local sources as much as possible.”
RBC’s hotline is 970-878-9555.
By KATHLEEN KELLEY
Rhawnie McGruder, RBC Communication Supervisor, explains the ‘Ready-Set-Go’ evacuation protocols at last week’s ‘Fire Ready’ meeting. KATHLEEN KELLEY PHOTO