Wildfire season for the Western U.S. has already begun, with large fires burning in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and in Eastern Colorado. As Colorado continues to experience drought and 15 of the 20 largest wildfires in Colorado have occurred in the last nine years, discussions of wildfire preparedness are once again coming to the forefront in Summit County, along with several resources and actionable steps that residents can take to help protect their homes and themselves.
Free Wildfire Preparation and Defensible Space Consultations with Summit Fire & EMS
Summit Fire & EMS offers free, non-binding wildfire-preparation and defensible-space consultations to residents, property owners, homeowners’ groups and civic organizations. These on-site visits cover issues such as landscaping and protecting your home from encroaching wildfires and ember storms, as well as personal preparation. To schedule a consultation, please call (970) 262-5100.
Are You Ready? Workshops with Red, White & Blue Fire – Starting Saturday, May 14, 2022
Red, White & Blue Fire is hosting two free community workshops on Saturday, May 14 from 9:00 -11:00am and on Tuesday, May 17 from 5:30-7:30pm on wildfire preparedness and evacuation. This in-person event will be take place at Colorado Mountain College in Breckenridge, and cover topics such as go kits, pets, family, friends, home mitigation, car, valuables, documents, and communication preparedness. RSVP by emailing Amanda Seidler.
Wildfire Roundup with Summit Fire & EMS – Saturday, May 21
Summit Fire & EMS will host its first-ever Wildfire Roundup event on Saturday, May 21, from 10:00am. to 2:00pm. at Summit Middle School, located at 158 School Road in Frisco.
The event will feature experts from multiple fields who will cover topics of wildfire assessments for a home, addressing insurance concerns, and preparing an evacuation kit. Local firefighters will also be available to chat.
Do you have questions or have any topics you would like Summit Fire & EMS to cover? Submit them as comments on their Facebook page.
Summit County Chipping Program Begins May 31, 2022
To help protect your home from wildfire Summit County government helps residents and property owners create defensible space by providing free chipping and disposal for branches, logs and small trees. If you clear woody vegetation from around your home and stack it in a slash pile, Summit County will chip it and haul it away at no cost. For more information, call (970) 389-5756.
Chipping begins two weeks early this year, beginning with service in Frisco, Copper Mountain, Farmer’s Korner, Gold Hill, Highland Meadows, Tenmile Vista, and Silver Shekel areas from May 31 through June 3, 2022.