In Fiscal Year 2004, Kiowa County, Colorado received its second NPS Rural Fire Assistance authorized by the National Fire Plan. The $11,000 grant, for the purchase of collapsible water tanks and personal protective equipment, continues the upgrading of the volunteer fire department's equipment that began with its first NPS RFA grant in fiscal year 03. The additional equipment provided by the RFA grants further increases the safety of Kiowa County 's volunteer firefighters, and enhances the department's capability of providing fire assistance to Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site.
The Sand Creek Massacre NHS is a newly authorized site that is still in the process of being established. With 2400 acres of rural grassland and riparian vegetation to manage, and about 10,000 acres more authorized for inclusion in the park, the NPS relies entirely upon the local volunteer fire departments for response in the event that a wildland fire occurs on or near NPS lands.
In addition to the RFA grants for new equipment, NPS has provided a Community Assistance Grant, also authorized under the National Fire Plan, for a community workshop on fire prevention and response. The workshop lead to the development of an interim fire management plan for the Sand Creek Massacre NHS so that NPS, Kiowa County, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, and neighboring landowners can work together to prevent fire at the Sand Creek Massacre Site and respond appropriately should it occur. The interim plan will supplement the park's Memorandum of Agreement with Kiowa County for fire response, as well as an Annual Operating Plan currently being developed among Kiowa County, NPS, the State of Colorado and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma.
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