Boulder County Wildfire Mitigation Group, a clearinghouse for web information on home and community defense

Local mitigation efforts/accomplishments

Since 1989, BCWMG has worked with government agencies, local fire districts and individual landowners to assess worst-case scenario areas and help bring mitigation funding sources to bear. Demonstration projects have proved successful in motivating neighbors and other groups of landowners to implement smaller projects.

Within the Boulder Mountain Fire Authority, thinning and chipping around roads creates strategic fire breaks.

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BCWMG INFO

On a regional level, the Boulder County Wildfire Mitigation Group has led to the formation of the Boulder County Ecosystem Cooperative to help balance wildfire mitigation needs with environmental concerns and the Winiger Ridge Ecosystem Managerment Pilot Project, one of 28 initial Pilot Reinvention Projects funded by the USDA Forest Service for wildfire-hazard reduction. The Pilot Reinvention program was created by Congress in 2000.
This summer BCWMG group hosted seven interns from the Student Conservation Association, who worked on fire mitigation with local landowners, free of charge.	SCA 2002 ACHIEVEMENT TOUR
Other accomplishments include:
I. LAND USE PLANNING Government requirements Area wildfire assessments II. PUBLIC EDUCATION III. HAZARD REDUCTION	In 1990, one of BCWMG's first accomplishments was installing fire danger rating signs at the entrance to every Boulder County canyon. The group works with all media during times of high fire danger and is committed to public outreach, having produced four informational pamphlets and two videos. Site visits and informational tours are conducted through the group, which has proven effective in creating hazard reduction programs. The group hosts the annual Wildfire Symposium and displays regularly at such events as the County Fair, County Fire Muster and Wildfire Prevention Week. All new mountain homes in Boulder County are now required to have "Class A" fire-resistant roofs and complete a defensible space program as part of the site plan review. Cisterns are also required to provide more water for firefighting efforts. The group reviews and consults with Boulder County Land Use on structures of a unique nature or in sensitive areas. BCWMG participants have helped lead the county and its landowners through a variety of wildfire assessment efforts, ranging from regional efforts to efforts categorizing individual homesites. On a regional basis, both a multi-state Red Zone Assessment and the Colorado Hazard Assessment were completed in the 1990s. These regional assessments address slope (or steepness); the types, amounts and density of fuels, aspect (or slope direction); elevation and presence or density of housing. The Boulder County Wildfire Hazard Assessment and a subdivision assessment were also completed in the last decade. Defensible space plan. Community-scale assessments include such factors as, water supply, road conditions, home construction and roof type, distance to fire station, driveway length and condition, and proper home identification. On an even smaller scale, homes in the county participate in both Defensible Space Plans and WHIMS projects, which are mostly administered by local fire protection districts. Wildfire Hazard Identification and Mitigation Systems assessment include tools for both homeowners and firefighters to plan for actual wildfire events.
For further information, contact: Eric Philips, Boulder County Wildfire Mitigation Coordinator Boulder County Land Use Dept. PO Box 471, Boulder, CO 80306 Phone: 303-441-3930 Fax: 303-441-4856 email: ephilips@co.boulder.co.us