Fire Evacuation
Photo courtesy of Raquel Raclette (MYjFOiVWWT8-unsplash).

Colorado Springs City Council could have had a momentous day on June 22, but they did not.

They had a chance to right a wrong festering in the strong mayor’s office since 2010. The last meaningful “Wildlife Evacuation Plan” was done in March 2010. City Council could have pushed for an updated plan instead of just a traffic study of 2424 Garden of the Gods Road in preparation for development. You cannot isolate an area to study without looking at the impact of neighboring areas.

We have had two major fires after the date on this plan, Waldo Canyon in 2012 and Black Forest in 2013 with devastating loss of life and property. It seems only obvious and prudent for Mayor Suthers to have his staff contract and publish an updated plan. Unbelievably, this has not been done.

During the city council meeting last week Travis Easton, Colorado Springs Public Works Director, stated, “Emergency conditions are not modeled but managed.” I beg to differ with his statement. When you “model,” you are pro-active in your actions, when you “manage” you are reactive. Words matter in this instance. Do we want the city prepared for the next fire or working the tragedy after the fire has started?

The 2010 study has the words “Model Simulation Report” on the front cover. But more importantly than that it also has several pages for each of the nine districts discussing emergency information. A model of the possible traffic flows for each district during an emergency is below.

Fire Evacuation Findings for District 1
“Findings for District 1.” Photo courtesy of Wildfire Evacuation Plan March 2010.
Fire Evacuation Findings for District 2
“Findings for District 2.” Photo courtesy of Wildfire Evacuation Plan March 2010.
Fire Evacuation Findings for District 3
“Findings for District 3.” Photo courtesy of Wildfire Evacuation Plan March 2010.
Fire Evacuation Findings for District 4
“Findings for District 4.” Photo courtesy of Wildfire Evacuation Plan March 2010.
Fire Evacuation Findings for District 5
“Findings for District 5.” Photo courtesy of Wildfire Evacuation Plan March 2010.
Fire Evacuation Findings for District 6
“Findings for District 6.” Photo courtesy of Wildfire Evacuation Plan March 2010.
Findings for District 7
“Findings for District 7.” Photo courtesy of Wildfire Evacuation Plan March 2010.
Findings for District 8
“Findings for District 8.” Photo courtesy of Wildfire Evacuation Plan March 2010.
Findings for District 9
“Findings for District 9.” Photo courtesy of Wildfire Evacuation Plan March 2010.

How can this be? I do not know, but it does exist. The City of Colorado Springs has been less than forthcoming with this information. If one reads the 2010 study it is blatantly clear that all the districts on the west side of Colorado Springs are INTERCONNECTED, period! To do a limited traffic study is downright absurd.

Mayor Suthers, be the leader Colorado Springs deserves and do another full fire evacuation plan to bring us current and hopefully more prepared.

Enough procrastination – do an updated fire evacuation plan!

The Maverick Observer, or “The Moe” as we affectionately call it, is an online free-thinking publication interested in the happenings in our town. We launched in February 2020 to hold our politicians and businesses accountable. We hope to educate, inform, entertain, and infuse you with a sense of community.

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  • Tim Hoiles

    Tim is a Colorado native, who graduated from Fountain Valley High School and attended Coe College. He was the Publisher, of Pampa Daily News Pampa, Texas 1974-1978, and Publisher of Victor Valley Daily Press Victorville, California, 1978-1990. Tim was also a member of the Freedom Newspapers board, which became Freedom Communications, Inc. from 1970-2004. He has served various non-profits in Pampa, Victorville, and Colorado Springs. He strongly believes in The Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution, and the ability of the moral and ethical free human spirit to live a working life without hurting others. He is married to Lorie and has puppies that keep their day hopping. Tim has a wide range of passions he shares on The Maverick Observer, a nonprofit he started in 2020 to provide conflict-of-interest-free news.

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Tim Hoiles
Tim Hoiles
Tim is a Colorado native, who graduated from Fountain Valley High School and attended Coe College. He was the Publisher, of Pampa Daily News Pampa, Texas 1974-1978, and Publisher of Victor Valley Daily Press Victorville, California, 1978-1990. Tim was also a member of the Freedom Newspapers board, which became Freedom Communications, Inc. from 1970-2004. He has served various non-profits in Pampa, Victorville, and Colorado Springs. He strongly believes in The Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution, and the ability of the moral and ethical free human spirit to live a working life without hurting others. He is married to Lorie and has puppies that keep their day hopping. Tim has a wide range of passions he shares on The Maverick Observer, a nonprofit he started in 2020 to provide conflict-of-interest-free news.

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