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Western Governors Float Idea of Shared Firefighting Fleet

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said Tuesday there are initial talks with Western governors about sharing a regional aerial fleet to fight fires, although the idea is far from reality at the moment.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said Tuesday there are initial talks with Western governors about sharing a regional aerial fleet to fight fires, although the idea is far from reality at the moment.
 

The Democratic governor spoke briefly about the discussions during a news conference where he urged Colorado residents to be aware of the fire danger this Fourth of July holiday, and advised homeowners living in high-risk areas to work on mitigation around their properties.
 

Hickenlooper emphasized that the idea of a regional aerial fleet is preliminary. It came up during the Western Governors' Association meeting last week in Utah. Colorado lawmakers this year passed a bill for a state firefighting fleet but didn't budget funds for it.


The governor said a standing fleet would be shared by Western states during the summer.
"We can do this more cheaply by working with other states," he said of having a state fleet separate from the federal resources.

Caroline Cournoyer is GOVERNING's senior web editor.
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