Dear Editor,

On February 26, a fire in Golden Gate Canyon was reported very near my home. It was right near the Jefferson / Gilpin County line. I was stunned to see how much difference there is between notification times for the different agencies.

Watch Duty is a free app, run by a non-profit organization.  

11:33 a.m. - Watch Duty app sends an alert that there is a wildland fire on Ralston Creek and Geneva. Units are already on scene. I recognize the location as just northwest of my neighborhood, with very heavily wooded rough terrain. The winds are bad, so I share it to my neighbors in the canyon.

11:44 a.m. - Watch Duty posts a map showing the area of the pre-evacuation area, a 3 mile radius, including my neighborhood. Jefferson County issued this order.   

12:08 p.m. - Watch Duty posts that crews have “knocked down” the fire.

12:23 p.m. - Gilpin County Hyper Reach notifies me that a pre-evacuation order is in place for my neighborhood. 39 minutes after Watch Duty reported the pre-evacuation order.  

12:29 p.m. - Watch Duty posts that Gilpin County has clarified that my neighborhood is included in the Level 2, pre-evacuation area.

12:38 p.m. - Watch Duty reports that the fire is “no longer spreading.”

12:59 p.m. - Gilpin County Hyper Reach notifies that the pre-evacuation order has been lifted.

1:06 p.m. - Watch Duty reports that the pre-evacuation order has been lifted.

2:33 p.m. - Watch Duty reports that the fire is 100% contained.  

Lessons to learn if you want to be informed about fires in our area:

1.  Download the Watch Duty app, you can receive notifications and updates for fires in multiple counties. Have all your friends and family download it too.

2.  Make sure you are also signed up for Hyper Reach through the Gilpin County Sheriff’s office. They will also notify you of fires but will also send out notifications for other types of emergencies.   

Sincerely,

Nancy Larson

Golden