Utah governor orders new wildfire preparedness push ahead of 2025 fire season

The Tank Hollow fire burned in the Sheep Creek drainage on the Spanish Fork Ranger District of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. This lightning-caused fire started on August 11th, 2017. Photo: USDA photo provided by inciweb.nwcg.gov.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Gov. Spencer Cox signed an executive order Monday aimed at tightening Utah’s wildfire defenses by improving coordination among state, local and federal agencies before the summer burn period begins.

“I’m incredibly proud of Utah’s firefighters and first responders … and this executive order builds on their work by improving coordination and focusing our efforts where they’re needed most,” Cox said in a statement. “This is about making sure we’re ready before the next fire season begins.”

Executive Order 2025‑02 creates a Working Group on Wildfire Management made up of leaders from key state agencies. The panel must identify Utah’s highest‑risk areas, streamline cross‑jurisdictional response plans and deliver recommendations to the governor no later than June 1.

“When it comes to wildfires, the unexpected has become the new normal,” State Forester Jamie Barnes said. “Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our planning efforts can help reduce risks to watersheds and landscapes across the state — and strengthen our overall wildfire preparedness.”

The order highlights not only the immediate danger posed by flames but also the post‑fire threats of flooding and debris flows that can batter communities long after a blaze is contained. It calls for “a comprehensive, forward‑looking approach” to mitigation and recovery.

Cox framed the directive as a next step in the state’s Fire Sense campaign, which officials credit with cutting human‑caused wildfires nearly 75 percent between 2020 and 2023. The governor’s office also praised state, local and federal firefighters for their “bravery and commitment” in protecting Utah’s residents and natural resources.

While the order focuses on agency coordination, it urges Utahns to prepare at home by assembling emergency kits, reviewing evacuation routes, creating defensible space around structures and signing up for local emergency alerts. Guidance is available at beready.utah.gov and utahfiresense.org.

The working group’s findings will help shape policy and funding decisions heading into the peak wildfire months. Utah’s 2025 fire season officially begins in June.