Arapahoe County taking proactive approach to wildfire season using new data analysis techniques

VIDEO: For the past seven months, Emergency Management Coordinator Jared Parker has been taking โ€˜field tripsโ€™ to a whole new level. Heโ€™s been tasked with collecting field samples and analyzing weather data throughout Arapahoe County.

โ€œWe just identified that there was a hole here, that we didn’t have this data, we didn’t have the capability for understanding the fires to the point that we wanted to,โ€ he said.

Parker collects different types of samples a few times a week, then takes them back to the office of emergency management, where he inputs and analyzes the moisture content using a series of graphs. โ€œWe’ll see in the next couple of weeks what summer has in store for us,โ€ he said.

The new initiative will help experts better predict fire behavior and danger in the county. โ€œIt’s important for us because we have a lot of communities, a lot of homes, that are adjoining to the grasslands,โ€ he said.

KMGH-TV ABC 7 Denver

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