Heinrich Helps New Mexicans Prepare For Wildfire Season

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 29, 2015) - In an effort to help New Mexicans prepare for wildfire season, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is encouraging residents to visit the Wildfire Preparedness & Prevention Resource Center on his website, which includes a Public Service Announcement, as well as active wildfire information, prevention tips, best practices to protect homes and businesses, and more.

"Wildfire season is here, which means it's more important than ever for each of us to do our part to protect our communities from unintended fires," said Sen. Heinrich. "Learning about wildfire danger and being prepared can help reduce the threat of fires to our natural surroundings, our homes, and our businesses. I encourage all New Mexicans to visit my website for tips to help you and your family prepare for wildfire season."

Senator Heinrich, a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, is a leading advocate for wildfire funding reform and wildfire prevention programs in New Mexico, including hazardous fuel reduction, stewardship contracting, and watershed restoration. He is a cosponsor of S. 326, the Stewardship End Result Contracting Improvement Act, a bill to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. The bill would make it easier for federal land managers and businesses to partner on long-term, large-scale forest treatment. In addition, he is also a cosponsor of S.235, the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2015, which would treat the largest fires--roughly 1 percent of annual fires--as natural disasters, and fund firefighting efforts from a disaster account similar to the one that funds hurricane and other natural disaster relief efforts.