The Colorado Springs area suffered two of the , and now city officials are urging residents to make preparations this weekend in the event of another large fire.
Saturday’s PrepareAthon! Day encourages residents to know their resources and make plans in case they need to evacuate.
Colorado Springs is the first Colorado city to participate in the program and is among the first five cities nationally, said Daniel Nyquist, community preparedness officer for FEMA Region 8.
“Other communities are (taking part), but not the way Colorado Springs is making a community-wide push,” said Cari Roberts, an emergency preparedness planner who works with FEMA Region 8.
PrepareAthon! Day will coincide with Colorado Springs’ annual wildfire evacuation drill in the Cheyenne Creek-Broadmoor neighborhoods that same day.
The drill takes place throughout the area’s wildland-urban interface of at-risk areas for wildfires — itap held in a different neighborhood each year and will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a practice emergency call to residents. Participants will meet at Harrison High School, where a free breakfast will be served before 10 a.m.
Although forecasters expect a this year, even an average season can bring .
“(Wildfire season) is generally early spring through fall,” Nyquist said. “But as we see with our climate, we see these things all year ’round.”
For residents in other areas who won’t participate in the drill, there are still ways to increase preparedness.
“Communicating what your emergency plan is (to your family), checking with neighbors … knowing how (you would) contact family,” said Kim Melchor, lead communications specialist for the City of Colorado Springs. “Having a meeting place — just actions like that.”
Melchor urges residents to register with the Colorado Springs’ emergency notification system at . The “reverse 911” system, as itap sometimes called, was updated in April 2014 after the and in 2012 and 2013. Residents must register their phones if they registered prior to the last update to ensure they can be reached.
