DENVER \u2013 Gov. John Hickenlooper isn\u2019t convinced that Colorado should buy its own firefighting air fleet, but he says Western governors are interested in cooperating to pay for regional wildfire resources.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s also interested in training ranchers and farmers to be first responders in remote areas to fight fires on federal land before government forces can arrive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe longer I deal with this issue, the more I see that that first hour is where it matters,\u201d Hickenlooper said.<\/p>\n
But a state-owned air force might be too costly for what it would provide, he said. Republican lawmakers began pushing the air corps idea in early 2013.<\/p>\n
Hickenlooper says training rural residents in firefighting is a smarter option.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s a program that we should embrace. The more quickly you get to a wildfire, the better off we are,\u201d Hickenlooper said.<\/p>\n
He met with reporters Thursday to talk about the legislative session that begins Jan. 8. He didn\u2019t endorse specific bills, but he said he wants to focus this year on improving the prospects for small businesses.<\/p>\n
He also said that in the wake of wildfires, floods and the shooting at Arapahoe High School, he hopes for a more cooperative tone at the statehouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there is a different sense of community right now, even among legislators. We\u2019ll see how strong that is and whether it breaks down. It\u2019s an election year. I\u2019m not blind,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As part of his commitment to cooperation, he said he is willing to listen to people who want to change some of last year\u2019s most controversial bills, including background checks and ammunition magazine limits for guns, a 20 percent renewable energy standard for rural utilities, and an overhaul of voting procedures. But he didn\u2019t sound eager to make major changes to any law, especially ones on guns and voting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see us introducing new gun laws this session, but I certainly wouldn\u2019t support repealing the laws we passed last year. That said, if there is a way to improve them some way \u2026 then I think we should sit down and have that discussion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n