Colorado is moving to buy more and more air resources to ensure helicopters are ready to fight fires in the state as soon as they start.
DENVER — Helicopters are critical to fighting wildfires in Colorado. For years now, the state has contracted them to help fight fires. Now, Colorado is buying two Bell 205 helicopters so it doesn’t have to share resources with places like California and New Mexico.
“Historically, Colorado has relied on an interstate pool of aircraft, and we have on occasion contracted or leased for a period of time aircraft that we can control,” Democratic Governor Jared Polis said at a press conference in April.
The governor and the head of the state fire agency held a press conference last month assuring everyone Colorado is more prepared for fires than ever.
“We’re shifting our resources to a model that allows us to respond more effectively to what is no longer just a wildfire season,” said Mike Morgan, the head of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.
We now know a little more about how Colorado is shifting those resources.
The state is spending $6.9 million to buy the two helicopters, fuel trucks, parts, and equipment from the company it’s contracted with for the last seven years. That company closed down abruptly in January, and Colorado stepped in to buy everything for a bargain price.
The state also spent $50 million to buy two converted Blackhawk helicopters. The two Firehawks, as they’re called, have been delayed for years. The first is just now about to start flying.
It’s all part of a new strategy to buy the equipment ourselves, instead of sharing with other states.
“We have experienced and sadly we will experience situations where the west is having issues,” Polis said. “There’s fires in California and fires in New Mexico. And resources are deployed there and there aren’t any left for Colorado when we need them.”
These helicopters the state is buying are the ones they use to fight fires at night. They have night vision capabilities, which we’ve seen the state lean into with helicopters.
Considering Colorado spent $2.4 million last year to pay pilots of the Firehawk Helicopter to fly a helicopter that doesn’t actually fly yet, spending $6.9 million to buy two helicopters and all the equipment that comes with them seems like a good deal.
Places like Douglas County have entered into contracts for exclusive use of Type 2 helicopters, like the new ones the state is buying. As the fires get worse, the resources are becoming harder to get and we’re seeing states and even counties working to secure their own helicopters.
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