Letter to the citizens of Rio Blanco County from the Board of Rio Blanco County Commissioners
Dear Editor:
We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the firefighters, emergency responders, and citizens who have worked tirelessly to protect our community during the Elk and Lee Fires.
We’d particularly like to recognize the locals: the Rio Blanco Fire Protection District, the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office and White River Field Office-based BLM crews. Their immediate response prevented the Elk Fire from establishing south of County Road 8. The results of these efforts demonstrate the critical importance of our local volunteer firefighters, and we are exceedingly grateful for their coordination and response.
As the Lee and Grease Fires expanded and the fires threatened structures across the county, it became apparent that our local firefighters needed air resources and logistic support. We declared an emergency, and with the governor’s support this made federal funding available to augment state and local resources.
While the Incident Management Team mobilized to Meeker, the Rio Blanco Sheriff’s Office was coordinating road closures and evacuation efforts to protect our community. The county Emergency Manager convened an Emergency Operations Center — the first in Rio Blanco County history — and key personnel began to meet and plan to address the critical needs of the community:
On the heels of the County Fair, the fairgrounds transitioned into an Incident Command Post. Fairgrounds staff turned the site into a livestock evacuation center and the staff housed and fed more than 100 animals.
The county’s Public Health and Human Services staff, in coordination with state representatives from Colorado Department of Human Services and the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, worked to make food and shelter available for evacuees. Seniors and vulnerable citizens were preemptively transported to safe accommodations with the help of Rangely resources.
County and town staff filled Emergency Support Function positions: we continue to work together to make sure critical transportation, safety, communication and services address community needs while coordinating with the Incident Management Team.
We thank Rocky Mountain Critical Incident Management Team 3, state DHS and DHSEM staff, resources from neighboring counties, the BLM White River Field Office, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Blanco Ranger District, Rangely, Rio Blanco County and Meeker staff, and the many locals who kept businesses open to serve our community. Thank you all for coming together and demonstrating the grit that makes us #RioBlancoStrong.
We’d also like to thank you for supporting each other: ranchers have been working together to move livestock out of harm’s way, and hundreds of animals have been relocated. We continue to work with the Sheriff, Incident Management Team and livestock owners to find solutions as the fire evolves.
At the time of this writing, we are unaware of any human injury resulting from the fires. We encourage you to stay safe: call 811 before digging, be prepared for potential evacuation, and continue to look out for each other.
We are proud to serve this resilient community, and we stand with you—today, and in all the challenges ahead.
Jennifer O’Hearon
Doug Overton
Callie Scritchfield
Rio Blanco County Commissioners
