One county in Colorado is rolling out a new wildfire management program that will provide coverage seven days a week -- the first time Jefferson County has ever offered that level of protection.

The program comes as the county faces some of the highest wildfire risks in the state. According to county officials, it's the county in the state with the second highest number of homes in high or extreme fire risk areas.

"It makes mitigation in Jeffco particularly challenging," said Brian Keating, who oversees wildfire management for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. "We now have resources that we can support our partners with in responding and suppressing those fires."

The county is investing roughly $7 million into the program. The funds will be used for a range of projects, including improving evacuation routes in mountain communities where roads can be limited.

"A lot of that mitigation is going to be focused on roadside treatments to help better egress and escape routes," Keating said. "They look at traffic flow patterns, they look at potential fire behavior and what those risks are, and based on that, we've identified specific road segments across the county."

Keating said Jefferson County has a 98% higher risk of wildfire than any other county in the United States.

The investment also means year-round crews will be available for mitigation work, which can reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

"Helping the crews -- both the engine crews and hand crews -- to get out and do risk mitigation work so that we're being proactive in our efforts to help minimize the potential for large and catastrophic wildfires," Keating said.

Officials say residents can also help protect their homes by clearing vegetation, trimming trees, and staying alert through the .

With fire season now effectively lasting all year, the county hopes these efforts will help keep residents and communities safer.