by Risk Reduction Coordinator Einar Jensen

Destructive wildfires dominated headlines as the new year dawned. Fires in Los Angeles County, California tore through neighborhoods destroying thousands of structures and killing dozens of people. Closer to home, wildfire remains a significant risk here in Evergreen and our surrounding Front Range communities.

We at Evergreen Fire/Rescue (EFR) are striving to develop and maintain the “best and most progressive” wildfire risk reduction mitigation in Colorado according to Wildland Fire Division Chief Jason Puffett. His bold vision for the agency’s efforts, before and after wildfires ignite, consists of three tiers: home, neighborhood and landscape.

“Evacuation routes are a particular focus for EFR because they represent life safety.”

Risk Reduction Begins at Home

Although the term fuel is often used to describe gasoline, coal and propane, it refers to all substances capable of burning. Wildfire fuel consists of built fuels (structures) and growing fuels (vegetation). Modifying both is a great way to improve community resistance to wildfires.

EFR has two mitigation specialists, Keenan Prouty and Dorie Dalton, who will continue conducting home and property inspections for residents. In addition to educating homeowners about wildfire risk and mitigation, they can mark trees for cutting and teach homeowners how to create slash piles for future chipping by EFR’s Fuels Mitigation Crew.

As part of Puffett’s bold vision, EFR is launching a new community chipping software program this spring called Chipper Days. Residents, including those who participated in a home inspection, will sign-up for chipping at chipperday.com/evergreen. They’ll provide some basic information and show where slash piles are located on a map. The Chipper Day platform will show our Fuels Mitigation Crew where piles are located and how to access them. Additionally, this new platform allows the Fuels Crew to note when individual piles are removed, which is relayed to the property owner in real-time, and track biomass, time spent chipping, property owner investments of time and money, and demand for this service. Each of those metrics will improve EFR’s ability to use its budget efficiently and apply for grants.

Engaging Neighborhoods

This year our mitigation specialists will also spend time in assigned neighborhoods leading projects designed by Wildland Planning Unit Ambassadors. Ambassadors are neighborhood leaders who volunteer to serve in liaison roles between their neighbors and EFR. They share information about resources such as grants, organize neighborhood clean-up events, and answer questions for their neighbors. Ambassadors also bring concerns to EFR’s Wildland Division through Ambassador Specialist Saraben Turner and Wildland Project Coordinator Jessica Moore. This year, Ambassadors will help Turner and Moore identify projects that can benefit multiple neighbors such as mitigation in open space and along evacuation routes. Moore brings other stakeholders to the planning table including government agencies and utilities to maximize project effectiveness. These larger projects are shared with a GIS contractor who maps them and can provide real-time feedback to the Fuels Mitigation Crew, such as project boundaries, and notify both EFR and other stakeholders as progress occurs.

Evacuation routes are a particular focus for EFR because they represent life safety. Reducing property and environmental damage is important, but saving lives is our priority. Few roads in Evergreen are capable of handling hundreds of cars filled with thousands of residents evacuating while firefighters and deputies enter those same areas in their emergency vehicles. Thinning trees within 150 feet of roadways should help preserve those routes during low- and moderate-intensity wildfires.

Landscape-Scale Projects Require More Resources

The entire purpose of fuel mitigation is changing a wildfire’s behavior: shortening flame lengths, slowing spread, decreasing ember cast, and reducing ember vulnerability. Conducting mitigation in yards, on shared property in neighborhoods, and along evacuation routes is important, but they are not the only tools in our toolbox needed to protect our district’s 26,000 residents and the men and women who respond to wildfires.

EFR is developing plans for landscape-scale mitigation in collaboration with partner agencies. These strategic projects will treat hundreds of acres, involve several private and public stakeholders, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, utilize grant funding, and leverage the private sector to implement. These projects will link and enhance the smaller patchwork of projects throughout the district to reduce our collective risk.

Improving Wildfire Response

EFR’s Fuels Mitigation Crew has two primary roles in this system: mitigation and response. The Crew, which is led by three full-time employees—one wildland captain and two lieutenants/foremen—has two squads of seasonal wildland firefighters. Eighty percent of those seasonals are returning from the 2024 season. The other two were hired from a field of 54 applicants highlighting the personal and professional development focus of the team and desirability to work for EFR.

As the Crew conducts mitigation in our district, a three-person squad will respond to smoke investigations and other potential wildfire incidents in conjunction with EFR firefighters. If they confirm a wildfire is burning, the remaining Crew members will respond to enhance our initial attack ability.

EFR Captain Dustin Searle continues to coordinate our firefighters’ preparedness for wildfires including training and resource  allocation.

A Wildland Reserve Program is another response resource available this year. Chief Puffett revamped the dormant program so that EFR could recruit and sponsor volunteer wildland firefighters with specific skill sets and valuable experience to help train EFR’s current personnel and respond to in-district wildfires. In return, these Wildland Reserve Firefighters may deploy statewide and nationally for wildfires by themselves, or on an EFR engine staffed with other personnel, which provides opportunities to acquire more valuable experience and skills.

#Everything4You

Creating the best, most progressive wildfire risk reduction program is part of our agency’s mission: protect life, property and the environment through prevention, preparedness, education and emergency response. Our sacred mission is serving you, our community. Everything we do before, during and after emergencies is for you. You can learn more about our commitment to you on our social media platforms and our website, evergreenfirerescue.com.