Pike & San Isabel National Forests
Cimarron & Comanche National Grasslands

USDA Forest Service
Pike & San Isabel
National Forests
Cimarron & Comanche
National Grasslands
2840 Kachina Drive
Pueblo, CO 81008
719-553-1400

Telephone for the
Hearing Impaired
719-553-1404

Be careful with fire.

The US Forest Service and BLM are asking recreationists who plan to play on the forests and rangelands this summer to take extra precautions to prevent wildfires.

            Each year, hikers, mountain bikers, backpackers, campers, anglers, off-road vehicle riders, and other recreationists start wildfires that burn thousands of acres and cost millions of taxpayer dollars to suppress.  These blazes hurt both the environment and the economy as they burn important wildlife habitat, prime recreation facilities, and valuable natural resources.  The impacts of major human-caused wildfires last for years - even decades, and can permanently change the way your public lands are managed.   

Your local fire prevention experts encourage recreationists to take a few simple precautions to prevent wildfires:

• Check area fire conditions before you visit and strictly observe any restrictions that may be in effect.  Call or visit the nearest US Forest Service or BLM office to find out if the fire danger is low, moderate, high, or extreme.  Comply with any conditions on campfires, smoking, or equipment use.

•  Don’t park cars, trucks, or Recreational Vehicles on dry vegetation.  The exhaust system on a vehicle can reach a temperature of more than 1,000 degrees; this is hot enough to start a wildfire during the summer.

•  Use an approved spark arrester on all internal combustion powered equipment and vehicles.  The screen, which fits between the exhaust port of the piston and the muffler, helps ensure that sparks generated by off-road vehicles, chainsaws and other equipment don’t start wildfires.  Check and replace spark arresters periodically to ensure proper functioning.

• Clear the area around a campfire.  Remove all vegetation and debris from within 10 feet before you start the fire.

•  Keep fire suppression tools handy.  Make sure that you have a bucket of water, shovel, and other implements nearby in case your campfire starts to get out of control.

•  Make sure the campfire is “dead out” before leaving.  Stir water and dirt into the coals with a shovel or stick until the coals are cool enough to touch with the back of your hand.

• Extinguish smoking materials properly.  Put out cigarettes, cigars, or pipes only in cleared areas free of vegetation or debris.

•  Don’t use fireworks in wildland areas.  Fireworks are illegal in the National Forests and BLM and many other public lands.

•  Recreationists have a big financial incentive to prevent wildfires because anyone who is found responsible for a blaze that burns Federal or State land is liable for the cost of suppression and damage to natural resources