Firewise USA®
Firewise USA is a nationally recognized program developed in 2002 by the National Fire Protection Association and is administered by the Colorado State Forest Service locally. Currently, there are seven Firewise-recognized neighborhoods in Routt County. You can look up active Firewise neighborhoods across Colorado and the country using this map.
A Great Starting Line
Firewise recognition is a great starting line for communities who are collectively engaged in wildfire mitigation, or who aren’t yet but want to be, and are seeking a structured path to implementing education and mitigation projects in their neighborhood.
Here’s what it takes
Connect
Reach out to your regional coordinator… that’s us!
Organize
Form a Firewise board or committee. It should be primarily made up of residents, but can include members of your fire district or other professionals. During the application process (and beyond), a member of our staff can participate on the board or committee as well.
Evaluate
We’ll assist in conducting your Community Wildfire Risk Assessment, which can help inform your goals and identify areas of focus for raising awareness and targeted mitigation projects.
Aspire
Set a series of goals and create an action plan for the next three years. You’ll need a mechanism for tracking progress and cataloging hours and expenses. We’ve got a tool to use.
At this point, you’re ready to submit your application for Firewise USA® recognition. More information can be found on the NFPA’s Firewise website. Spend some time looking over the requirements and reach out to us if you’d like to learn more… we’re here to help!
