Wildfire Partners Expands Services to East County Residents
Wildfire Partners hosted a Community Mitigation Planning Information Session on Dec. 12, 2023. The meeting was recorded and posted online.
The information on this page applies to homeowners of Boulder County outside the City of Boulder
Your community is located in Unincorporated Boulder County, Erie (Boulder County portions), Jamestown, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Lyons, Nederland, Superior and Ward.
Community Mitigation
Wildfire Partners always encourages community mitigation. Working with neighbors will create community resiliency and enhance the effectiveness of individual efforts. We offer various services focused on the diverse types of communities within the county, including:
- Community Presentations and Outreach
- Community Advising
- Community Chipping
- Community Mitigation Planning
Community Presentations and Outreach
Available to All Applicants
Eligibility Requirements:
A Community Liaison is required.
This person:
- Fills out the Community Event Request.
- Serves as the point of contact.
- Hosts/organizes the event.
Wildfire Partners has an Outreach and Education team that is available to engage with communities:
- Prepare and deliver a presentation aimed at your specific audience.
- Table or mingle at your community event.
- Hold a Q&A session for residents.
- We have Spanish-speaking outreach staff!
Contact us using our Wildfire Mitigation Community Event Request form or reach out to our team at wildfireoutreach@bouldercounty.gov.
Community Advising
For HOA boards, neighborhood committees, agency partners, and groups involved in mitigation planning.
Eligibility Requirements:
A Community Mitigation Liaison is required.
This person:
- Fills out the Community Event Request.
- Serves as the point of contact.
- Hosts/organizes the event.
Wildfire Partners has subject matter experts available to advise community decision makers interested in implementing wildfire mitigation best practices in home/structure hardening, defensible space, and landscaping.
Contact us using our Wildfire Mitigation Community Event Request form or reach out to our team at wildfireoutreach@bouldercounty.gov.
Community Mitigation Planning
Competitive Process
Community effort is critical to successful wildfire mitigation in communities characterized by high-density development. This would include most neighborhoods, subdivisions, and HOAs in east Boulder County. In west Boulder County, this could include towns and historic townsites.
Eligibility Requirements:
Community Mitigation Planning is a formal process where a community will organize to assess and reduce risk around wildfire.
To qualify, your group must:
- Have a Community Liaison.
- Include at least 8 homes.
- Have a defined continuous boundary. Applicants may propose boundaries for their community, and Wildfire Partners will review this proposal and recommend changes as appropriate.
- All homes within a common boundary must be included in the community as opposed to picking and choosing individual properties to make up a community.
- A formal organizational structure (HOA, existing community group) is preferred but not required.
How Community Mitigation Planning Works:
Community mitigation involves the creation of a cohesive strategy around wildfire mitigation.
To be able to protect homes from wildfire, you need to control the conditions that allow for combustion (the quantity and quality of fuel) within 50 feet of structures. In dense neighborhoods, community members will need to work together to mitigate individual as well as community risk as conditions on any given property will impact fire behavior nearby. Homes, yards, and shared natural spaces (woodlands and/or grasslands) are potential sources of ignition through direct flame contact, radiant heat, and embers during a wildfire.
Wildfire Partners supports NFPA’s Firewise USA model which offers a useful structure to help guide communities, and provides a nationally recognized designation for communities that meet the program standards. The designation process can take months or years depending on the existing level of community organization and wildfire mitigation. However, Firewise™ designation should be seen as a goal not a requirement.
Whether or not Firewise™ designation is a goal or not, the process of Community Mitigation Planning involves the following:
Stage 1: Organize
- Define your community.
- Designate a Community Liaison.
- Fill out our Community Application Form.
Stage 2: Educate
- Organize and host a community event (in collaboration with Wildfire Partners).
- Use this event to recruit additional members of leadership team.
We highly encourage two or more people to work together as a wildfire mitigation committee, particularly for a larger community.
Stage 3: Plan
- Conduct a community risk assessment with agency partner assistance. Wildfire Partners supports the NFPA’s Firewise USA program, with designation as a goal.
Stage 4: Implement
- Complete educational and risk reduction activities based on your plan.
If this is part of your risk reduction plan, homeowners can sign-up for a home assessment.
Stage 5: Keep it up!
Role of the Applicant/Community Liaison
The Community Liaison will be responsible for completing an application. Any community member may serve as the Community Mitigation Liaison and apply on behalf of their community. The applicant will be the primary point of contact with Wildfire Partners.
Role of Wildfire Partners
We have subject matter experts available to help guide your Community Mitigation Liaison/committee with:
- Community Outreach – Brainstorming and planning, presentations, and events.
- Technical Assistance – Guidance conducting community risk assessments, interpreting, and presenting your findings.
- Individual Home Assessments – Residents living within the community will qualify to apply.
- Project Implementation – Project planning, contractor lists, and free chipping services.
- Financial Opportunities – Potential funding through the County, State, or other agencies.
FAQs
No, it’s not required but preferred.
Wildfire Partners staff can answer questions about the advantages of becoming a Firewise™ community.
If you are interested in wildfire mitigation services, our staff is available to help.
We have subject matter experts available to attend community events and provide community advising.
Our outreach and education services are available to partner agencies interested in providing information on wildfire mitigation, particularly within Boulder County.
Please contact us at wildfireoutreach@bouldercounty.gov to find out more.