(COLORADO SPRINGS) — With two major wildfires burning in Los Angeles, California, the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) is preparing for the possibility of a similar wildfire impacting our area. The Fire Department said as the population and development in Colorado Springs continue to rise, so does the risk of wildfires across the city and surrounding region. While the brave men and women of CSFD are helping battle fires in California, firefighters still here in Southern Colorado are staying focused on making sure our community is ready for the next big wildfire. "It is heartbreaking because we here in Colorado Springs, we experienced that in the Waldo Canyon Fire," said Steve Wilch, Deputy Chief of Operations at CSFD. Deputy Chief Wilch is a 35-year veteran of the fire service. He's been a part of some major events like the Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012, then the following year, Black Forest. He also went up to the 2021 Marshall Fire in Boulder County as a task force leader. "Marshall Fire was a wind-driven event and they had high wind speeds up to 100 miles an hour, very similar to the wind speeds that they were seeing in the California fires in Los Angeles County," Wilch said. One key concern raised by the recent wind-driven wildfires in Los Angeles is water access. To address this, CSFD works closely with Colorado Springs Utilities (Springs Utilities), ensuring that crews are always up to date on the status of the city's water supply. "We have a specialist come out from [Springs Utilities] during all of our structure fires and we can boost our pressures," Wilch explained. " Now, if we're talking about an aggressive, fast-moving, wind-driven fire where we have structure upon structure, that is a conflagration of homes, our water system is going to be tapped. The reason I say that is not only are we drawing a lot of systems, but the houses that are burning down have open taps that are flowing and the pressure will go down. So as we try to boost the pressure and the more casualties we have with structures, it will stress our water system." Colorado Springs Utilities did not interview with FOX21 News, but a spokesperson provided the following statement. It is difficult draw parallels with the devastating wildfires in California and their water systems, as the situation in the Los Angeles area is incredibly complex. At Colorado Springs Utilities, we collaborate with the Colorado Springs Fire Department to ensure our water system is designed to deliver the necessary flow rates for customer demands and firefighting. Regular coordination with CSFD ensures awareness of infrastructure impacts and our hydrant maintenance program. During the Waldo Canyon Fire water pressure was increased to meet CSFD’s needs, and continuous coordination with first responders was essential to mitigating impacts. Additionally, our in-house Wildland Fire Team responds to wildland fire calls to protect vital utilities equipment and resources, and we partner with organizations like the US Forest Service on proactive forest management programs to protect our electrical equipment and reservoirs from wildfire risk. Steve Berry, Colorado Springs Utilities CSFD told FOX21 News that they prepare for a wildfire daily, but one of the biggest challenges they face is the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The WUI is the area where developed land meets undeveloped wilderness. It's where homes and other buildings are close to, or even surrounded by, natural vegetation and open land, making it a key zone for wildfire risk. "We know we have a very large WUI in Colorado, and we understand that fire is going to occur in this city and we need to be prepared for them," Wilch said. Courtesy: Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) There are more than 32,000 acres of WUI in Colorado Springs. Just west of I-25, the area spans 44 square miles and about 24% of the city's population lives there. Each year, crews conduct fire mitigation in this region, clearing brush from properties and educating the public about wildfire preparedness. "There's a motto we use, it's sharing the responsibility and what that means is the homeowner is responsible for their property and for being educated on knowing how to prepare for the event of a wildfire. Deputy Chief Wilch said that starts with knowing your evacuation zone and having a go-bag prepared. "We're asking the public, just like we saw in Los Angeles, there's a large need to get people moving quickly and in masses, we need them to do that at the early end of these events and not wait," Wilch explained. CSFD currently has 500 employees who are trained to fight wildfires, but said they are limited by what happens with the wind and the equipment provided by taxpayers.