All it takes is one bad day. 

Summit Fire & EMS Wildland Division specialists say while many local homeowners could go decades, or even the entirety of their homeownership, without seeing a wildfire impact their property, the possibility isn’t off the table, and it’s happened in Colorado before. When it comes down to it, being prepared makes a big difference for homeowners, first responders and surrounding neighbors and nature.

“Summit County has like a 70% WUI, or wild land urban interface, where the houses are put in the woods, which is amazing … But that comes with a high level of responsibility for homeowners,” Summit Fire & EMS wildfire mitigation specialist Brandon McBride said.

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He said people can take on this responsibility by themselves, or even as neighbors.

Summit Fire & EMS Wildland Divisions fuel specialist Hannah Ohlson said wildfire planning has proven to pay off in Colorado, pointing to the 2018 Durango 416 Fire as a prime example. The fire scorched around 54,000 acres of land, but many homes were spared thanks to residents’ prevention and mitigation efforts.

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She said it’s doable, and it’s something local fire districts can help with.

Preparedness and planning

Ohlson and McBride’s knowledge as specialists is backed by years studying wildland fires and runs fighting fires on some of the nation’s most specialized teams. Both spent time on U.S. Forest Service’s Interagency Hotshot Crews, and Ohlson was on a Helitak team, where firefighters are dropped via helicopter directly into the scene of wildfires.

They said while wildfire can be a risk to structures like homes and buildings, it’s not the enemy.

Local ecosystems are adapted to fire and while wildfire can be destructive, it is also regenerative, fostering biodiversity and benefitting long-term ecosystem health, Ohlson said.

She said the most valuable thing people living in areas with risks of wildfire can do is sign up to receive alerts, which locally would come from the messaging system Summit County Alerts, and have an evacuation plan.

“It is independent of socioeconomic status … Whether or not you own the big mansion or rent, you need to have up-to-date information on what’s happening and (know the best) route out of the area,” she said.

The two said showing preparedness for wildfires can, in some cases, even help people get discounted premiums for insurance. This can be done through managing a home’s yard, and through making the home itself as fire resistant as possible.

When it comes to prepping a home for wildfire, Summit Fire & EMS Wildland Division can guide homeowners through identifying and prioritizing mitigation projects and track change over time. The agency and Red, White and Blue Fire Protection District serving Breckenridge and Blue River can perform assessments and provide documentation to insurance companies that can inform their coverage decisions. Both have special access to a wildfire mitigation app called Fire Aside that McBride said interfaces with insurance companies well for this purpose.

“We don’t have any control over what insurance companies do, but the hope is that they say, ‘this is real, legitimate proof that you did something proactive for fire risk to your house,'” he said.

What’s in your yard matters

Ohlson and McBride said it’s also imperative people understand what could serve as fuel on their property for wildfires and make sure those elements are too close to the home.

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, wildland fire fuels can include grasses, shrubs, trees, dead leaves and pine needles. McBride said even small items like dried leaves and sticks can serve as fuel.

Ohlson said one of the safest practices is creating defensible space on your property, which is a method that creates a barrier between a fire and a home. The first five feet around a home should be maintained to be noncombustible. This entails ensuring its rid of things that could serve as fuel. She said the Summit Fire & EMS Wildland Division can help homeowners identify the best way to do this, because different shrubs and trees can warrant different mitigation or removal methods. The Red, White and Blue Fire District also has tools it can loan to the residents they serve so people can create defensible space.

McBride said people should be mindful about having woodpiles — especially ones they might forget about underneath decks, and propane tanks in this five-foot parameter — because those are also fuels.

Ohlson said the next 30 feet or so out from a home should have low fuel density, meaning spacing between trees and shrubs, mowed and health grasses and the lowest limbs of trees removed. The National Fire Protection agency said trees should be spaced out a minimum of 12-feet apart in the zone. The next perimeter past the initial 30 foot one, extending to 100 feet out from the home, can have more fuels than the other two, but it still shouldn’t be too dense. The National Fire Protection agency said trees should be spaced out six feet apart in the zone.

“With this, we’re knocking the steam out of the fire as it approaches the structure … It’s basically thinning strategically,” Ohlson said, noting it reduces fire intensity as the fire approaches the home.

McBride added it’s also smart to have any children’s play structures or fire pits further away from the home, as opposed to having in within the five-foot perimeter.

How a home can help protect itself and what materials aid it

Aside from maintaining the yard in a way that will better protect a home and surrounding ones in the event of a wildfire, it’s also important to take steps ensuring homes are resistant to fire.

Ohlson said even if a fire is not directly next to a property, the embers it casts can travel, and materials matter. She said homeowners need to be thinking about making numerous aspects of the exterior of the home — like roofs, siding, gutter, vents and decks — fire resistant.

She said people should be looking materials which are “Class A” on the fire-rating scale. Pertinent materials include those used to build things roofs and home siding.

Gutters need to be maintained and cleared, McBride said, noting having them full of leaves and pine needles can be hazardous, as they can catch embers.

“Venting for a roof is really important, because that’s where embers want to go,” he said, noting newer builds are being built with “pretty airtight” vents, which is preferred, but some older homes don’t have this.

He said having multi-pane windows is also significant as they can play a role in reducing ignition. This is because they take more intense heat and have longer resistance times during the flaming front before shattering. 

Teaming up with neighbors

Ohlson and McBride said neighborhoods can take on the responsibility together through a National Fire Protection Association program called Firewise USA. The program’s slogan is literally “band together,” and encourages communities like neighborhoods, subdivisions and homeowners association to team up to more effectively reduce the risk of wildfires. Communities have to apply for Firewise USA certification and take on a process that includes presenting the organization with a game plan to demonstrate how they reduce the risk of wildfires. Certification requires an updated implementation plan each year.

After completing the certification, they are eligible to receive a sign to put at the front of the community, and this sign holds a lot of weight, McBride said. He said when firefighters arrive on the site of a wildland fire and see this sign, it’s a signal to them it will be more feasible to mitigate and help save homes.

“Firefighters will have an easier time fighting fire within a neighborhood that’s got the right work done, and that’s what’s cool about the sign,” he said.

Ohlson said she can help communities with the plans behind the sign. She said Firewise doesn’t have a rubric it’s looking for people to follow — the organization just wants to see a good plan that’s feasible to implement and will work.

“A lot of the communities that I’ve helped get into FireWise get to know each other better,” she said.  “They’re like, knocking on each other’s doors. They’re planning community work days. They’re sharing resources with each other.”

Red, White and Blue Fire Protection District Wildfire Division Chief Matt Benedict said there’s several neighborhoods in Breckenridge that do a great job at being official FireWise neighborhoods.

Those interested in learning more about Firewise can visit NFPA.org/education-and-research/wildfire/firewise-usa. Summit Fire & EMS’s Wildland Division can be reached at wildland@summitfire.org. Red White & Blue Fire Protection District can be reached at mitigation@rwbfire.org.