Campus Alert

High Park Fire Updates

June-July 2012

Campus updates related to the High Park wildfire. The fire was 100% contained on June 30.

July 3

Disaster Recovery Center to Cease Operations

The Disaster Recovery Center will close at the end of the day Friday, July 6th. The center, which is run by Larimer County, will also be closed for the July 4th holiday.

The center will be open reduced hours Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Following the closure of the center, parking in metered lot #349 and along East Drive will return to normal, requiring payment or proper permits on Monday, July 9.

The most current public information is available is available from:

• Larimer County High Park Fire Information Site
• Larimer County Emergency Management Blog
• Forest Service Incident Information Center Online

June 16

12:00 p.m. - Pingree Park Serving Firefighters

The university is providing Pingree Park facilities as a place for fire fighters who are working on the Western edge of the fire line to eat and sleep. The camp has been designated by fire command officials as safe zone for the fire fighters.

Pingree Park remains closed to the public.

June 13

5:06 p.m. - Disaster Recovery Center for Fire Victims Opens on Campus Friday

The Larimer County Disaster Recovery Center, which will provide support, assistance, and resourcesfor all victims of the High Park Fire,  will be hosted at Colorado State University’s Johnson Hall beginning Friday. The Disaster Recovery Center is a service of Larimer County.

Beginning at 7 a.m. Friday, June 15, the center will be open in Room 222 in Johnson Hall from 7 a.m.-7pm. weekdays and 9 a.m.-3p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.  Designated free parking for users of the Disaster Recovery Center will be available in the meter parking lot just south of the Administration Building.

Beginning Monday, June 25, the weekday hours will change to 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Weekend hours will remain 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Services are coordinated by Larimer County and include information about temporary assistance, health and safety information, housing, counseling, mental health services and other services. CSU-employee specific information also will be available.

For more information about the services available, visit www.larimer.org beginning Thursday, June 14.

Maps and Parking Information:

• Location of Johnson Hall
• Parking for victims and service providers.
  • Service providers will need to display a special parking permit, provided by county officials organizing the center.
  • No special permit is required for victims parked in the designated lot.

Relief and Recovery Assistance Guide

• 2-1-1 Relief and Recovery Assistance Guide - provided by fire authorities, outlines resources for those affected by the High Park Fire  

CSU Information and Updates

• How parking for the center impacts employee, student, and visitor parking
• University response to the High Park fire and impacts on campus

11:15 a.m. - Smoke On Campus

While CSU's campus is not currently threatened by the fire, smoke is present on campus today.

Currently there are no plans to close any buildings, and members of the campus community are advised heed public health advisories urging people to stay indoors and avoid outdoor activities as much as possible.

If you are experiencing respiratory or other health issues related to the smoke:

• Students - please make arrangements with your summer class instructors.
• Employess - please work with your supervisor to take sick leave or make other arrangements. Questions regarding leave policies or alternative work arrangements can be directed to Human Resources Employee Relations at 970-491-MyHr (6947) [more information]

June 12

2:00 p.m. - CSU's Mountain Campus at Pingree Park Evacuated

Fire officials have issued evacuation orders for Pingree Park and are closing the area. The university has been closely monitoring the area as well and was scaling back employee presence as a precaution. All but two employees had already left the mountain campus and the remaining employees were prepared to close the campus and evacuate immediately. Classes scheduled at Pingree Park were temporarily moved to campus on Monday, and all other activities at the campus also were postponed or canceled.

June 11

10:00 p.m. - Early Childhood Center Open Tuesday

The Early Childhood Center will be open Tuesday at both the Lopez and Gifford locations.  Parents may choose to keep their children home should they have concerns about their child's health.   Please continue to monitor the website as we will post notifications if conditions change.

1:00 p.m. - Campus Activities Impacted by High Park Wildfire

Classes on main campus

All summer classes on main campus are continuing as scheduled.

Pingree Park Campus activities

Colorado State University has moved or canceled all activities scheduled at Pingree Park until further notice. Classes scheduled at CSU's mountain campus, Pingree Park, have been temporarily moved to campus. Students should report to Edwards Hall. Room information and other details will be released directly to impacted students by the instructor.

CSU New Student Orientation

CSU's new student orientation is continuing as planned. Outdoor activities will be moved inside as much as possible.

Campus Visits

All campus visit programs are operating as scheduled.

CSU's Youth Sports Camp Activities

The youth sports camps held by Colorado State University's Department of Health and Exercise Science will be moved primarily indoors because of poor air quality. For more information, please contact the camp office at 970-491-6318.

Black Issues Forum

The Black Issue Forum is continuing as scheduled.

Early Childhood Center

The CSU Early Childhood Center closed at noon on Monday, June 11, due to a recommendation by the Larimer County Health Department to avoid outdoor activities. A decision will be made this evening (Monday, June 11) regarding re-opening of the ECC on Tuesday, June 12. Parents will be notified by email as soon as a decision has been made.

10:15 a.m. - Campus Update

Employees and Students Directly Impacted by the Fire

Employees who are directly impacted (evacuated from their home, etc.), or if you know of someone who has been directly impacted, please contact the Employee Assistance Program at (970) 491-1527, Lanai.Greenhalgh@colostate.edu or www.ombudsandeap.colostate.edu.

Leave information for employees directly impacted by the fire is available by contacting Human Resources.

Students who are directly impacted may call 970-491-1350 for assistance with making arrangements for academic and personal impacts.

If you are concerned about the air quality: Fort Collins and all the CSU campuses will likely have smoke and haze in and around the buildings all through this next week. The buildings' air conditioning systems cannot filter the fine smoke particles or odors, but the air quality is generally safe.

Students and employees are encouraged to move any non-essential outdoor activities indoors to the extent possible to avoid prolonged exposure to the smoke. People who are experiencing health impacts related to the smoke should work with their supervisor or professor (students attending summer classes) to make accommodations, if necessary. The Larimer County Health Department recommends that outdoor physical activities be avoided as much as possible anytime smoke can be seen or smelled.

Due to continuing wind and weather changes impacting the High Park wildfire, the air quality in Larimer County could cause breathing difficulties, especially for people susceptible to respiratory conditions.

Please look for updates at the Larimer County website at www.larimer.org/news.

For more general information on air quality monitoring and the use of alerts, see www.airnow.gov.

Updates on the High Park wildfire are available at www.inciweb.org/incident/2904.

Pingree Park Campus activities

Colorado State University has moved or canceled all activities scheduled at Pingree Park until further notice. Classes scheduled at CSU's mountain campus, Pingree Park, have been temporarily moved to campus. Students should report to Edwards Hall. Room information and other details will be released directly to impacted students by the instructor.

How CSU is helping

Colorado State University is actively doing all it can to help by providing resources and assistance for the High Park fire.

As part of a comprehensive collaboration with fire officials, the university is offering facilities and resources to assist with fire-fighting and recovery coordination efforts. The Joint Incident Command Center – where fire fighting coordination is housed – is located on the university's foothills campus. It is hosting about 2,000 emergency responders, helicopters and other fire resources, and the university is supporting the operation by supplying facilities and utilities. CSUPD is assisting at the Incident Command Center as well by providing traffic control, security and dispatchers.

The Colorado State Forest Service is playing a significant role in battling the fire, and has deployed all available people and equipment to help fight the fire.

In addition, the university has offered to provide housing, if needed, to those displaced by evacuation and showers and rest facilities for fire fighters.

Our Equine facilities are being used to house evacuated horses, and the Veterinary Teaching Hospital is supporting the Larimer County Humane Society with pets and small animals that have been evacuated (please see below regarding animal evacuations – please do not bring your animals directly to CSU without first coordinating with evacuation officials).

How You Can Help

To volunteer, visit www.helpcoloradonow.org.

Veterinary Teaching Hospital Accepting Evacuated Pets, Larimer County Humane Society Full

Colorado State's Veterinary Teaching Hospital has been designated to take overflow of small animals that have been evacuated from the fire area. The Larimer County Humane Society is coordinating all animals being housed at the VTH, and the Humane Society should be contacted first before animals are brought to the hospital. Contact information for the Humane Society is at www.larimerhumane.org.

A map to the VTH is available here: www.map.colostate.edu/#b=173.

June 10 - High Park wildfire

The High Park wildfire is located northwest of Fort Collins and west of the towns of Laporte and Bellvue, which are about 10-15 miles outside of Fort Collins.

• County emergency information is available at http://www.larimer.org/emergency/emergency_detail.cfm?nam_id=85.

Pingree Park Classes Rescheduled
Classes scheduled at CSU’s mountain campus, Pingree Park, have been temporarily moved to campus starting Monday. Students should report to Edwards Hall. Room information and other details will be released directly to impacted students by the instructor.

Smoke health advisory issued by county
The Larimer County Department of Health and Environment is warning residents of air quality hazards due to the High Park fire. Information from the county is available at http://www.larimer.org/news/newsDetail.cfm?id=1524.