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Wildfire Risk Reduction

Genesee is located in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), by definition a high hazard fire environment. It is not a question of "if" wildfires will occur, but "when" they will occur. There are steps that can be taken before a wildfire occurs that improve the survivability of you and your home and that will help firefighters be able to defend your home from an approaching wildfire.

Defensible Space 

Defensible space is the natural and landscaped area around a home or other structure that has been modified to reduce fire hazard. There are both initial and annual projects that will create and maintain defensible space and give firefighters the best chance of defending your home.

Resources

Overview

The Home Ignition Zone: A guide to preparing your home for wildfire and creating a defensible space/2021

Creating Defensible Space: Annual Tasks Checklist

Video about creating defensible space - (four minutes)

Annual End of Summer Checklist for Residents
Home Hardening 

Studies show that firebrands and embers from wildfires, which can travel up to a mile from the wildfire front, ignite most structures, not the main fire front. There is a lot you can do to reduce the risk of a home ignition from embers and firebrands traveling in advance of the fire front. These little things and details can determine if your home survives a wildfire – or not.

Resources

Videos

Insurance 

Colorado-specific consumer advisory: Wildfire mitigation and insurance tips

Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association information on wildfire

Tips from the Trenches: Does Your Safety Net have Holes? This 52-minute video from United Policyholders, a non-profit organization that is an insurance resource for consumers, reviews how to read your policy, including the fine print, and determine if your coverage is adequate. Historically in Colorado, as many of 50% of people who lost their homes in a wildfire found that they were underinsured.

Videos 

Watch videos about actual wildfires in Colorado and elsewhere to learn how firefighters approach defending homes from wildfire, including the benefits of mitigation.

Resources 

Wildfire Wednesdays 2020 webinar: Defensible Space and Home Hardening(opens in new window). Daniel Beveridge, Wildfire Mitigation Program Specialist, Colorado State Forest Service. (1 hour 13 minutes)

Wildfire Wednesdays 2020 Webinar: Fire Ecology and Behavior(opens in new window). Tony Cheng PhD, Professor, Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship at Colorado State University and Director, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute. (1 hour 12 minutes)

Resources for Kids 
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