The Waldo Canyon Fire near Colorado Springs, Colorado, the largest in Colorado’s history, started on June 23, 2012. When firefighters finally managed to put the fire out, over 32,000 people had been evacuated, the fire had consumed 18,247 acres. Firefighters had lost the battle to save 346 homes and two people were left dead. While the authorities did many things correctly, the Initial After Action Report, released on October 24, 2012, also points out some places where improvements could be made. The results of the report are offered in hopes that others can learn valuable lessons from what occurred during that historic fire, which happened over 19 days.

The first recommendation from the report is for improved communication. In particular, a person should be assigned as a communications unit leader to assure that the communication plan is carried out throughout the fire. Cell phone service, VHF and 800 MHz service should be improved so that all departments can work together better.

Colorado Springs had just done a major update to their training materials days ahead of the fire. Not all employees and volunteers received training on the new materials before the start of the fire. One way to overcome this problem is the development of checklists that can be easily followed by employees and volunteers based on the new material before it is released.

One of the weakest components of fighting this historic fire was authorities did not communicate with people living in the area effectively. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the After Action Report that volunteers from the community be utilized to train their neighbors about what to do before fires break out. Some of these volunteers should be further trained to provide logistical support during the event. In particular, these volunteers should be trained to record at exactly what time orders were given by those in charge.

Many donations poured into Colorado Springs during and after the fire. No one seemed to be in charge of those donations and people were often left wondering where to take their donations. A volunteer needs to be assigned to these donations and already have a strong network with groups in the area.