Colorado. Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

In the last 20 years, wildland fires in Colorado have increased in frequency and severity. This has resulted in lengthy and costly community and natural resource recoveries. As our communities continue to grow into the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), more residents are subject to post-fire impacts such as flooding, debris flows, and other natural hazards exacerbated by fire. While recovery from a wildland fire begins and ends locally, there are many...

The State of Colorado initiated the effort to develop an after action report (AAR) to identify strengths and areas for improvement observed during response and recovery efforts for both the 2013 Floods and the Black Forest Fire.

The purpose of the Colorado State Emergency Operations Plan (SEOP) is to outline general guidelines on how the State carries out its response and recovery responsibilities to address an emergency or disaster event. Major emergencies and disasters are complex events that present communities and emergency personnel with extraordinary problems and challenges that cannot be adequately addressed within the routine operations of local government. The SEOP...

This Emergency Response Guide serves as the standardized guide to be used by State employees during emergency situations. All employees should be familiar with this guide to quickly find information when an emergency does occur. All employees are expected to cooperate with the implementation of these procedures during real emergencies as well as exercises designed to test these procedures. This document is not intended to replace standard operating...

The purpose of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) Recovery Plan is to outline the coordination and support activities that occur in the recovery phase following a chemical event at Pueblo Chemical Depot (PCD). The term "recovery" includes measures to assess the hazard and perform other urgent tasks in the area affected by the emergency; a controlled process for reentry, restoration, and remediation; and provision of services...

On August 5, 2015, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA) work crew digging into the Gold King Mine (GKM) Level 7 adit near Gladstone, Colorado, triggered a blowout and on going discharge of impounded mine water. The EPA reported that more than 3 million gallons of acidic mine water containing sediment, heavy metals, and other chemicals discharged into Cement Creek, which flows into the Animas River, and into New Mexico where the Animas River...