Take Action to Prepare for Wildfire

Boulder County, Colo. -- The Boulder County Commissioners have proclaimed May 2023 as Wildfire Awareness Month in Boulder County – an opportunity for residents to find out more about wildfire preparedness and mitigation, including the county’s work and how residents can take action.

May would traditionally have been the start of wildfire season, but as the Marshall Fire taught us less than a year and a half ago, the climate crisis has introduced the concept of year-long wildfire risk – which makes education and mitigation all the more important.

Take Action

• Homeowners in mountain communities are encouraged to sign up with Wildfire Partners, the county’s wildfire mitigation program, and encourage their neighbors to do the same.
• The county is working with our community partners and residents to extend Wildfire Partners and other education, outreach, and mitigation programs to the plains. Residents are encouraged to sign up to receive email alerts with updates about these plans to extend to east Boulder County, funded by voter-approved Ballot Measure 1A.
• All residents are encouraged to sign up for Boulder County Everbridge alerts to receive messages about imminent wildfire threats and other hazards. Multiple improvements have been made to the alert and warning systems used by the four 911 dispatch centers in Boulder County in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire. Improvements include the introduction of the ReachWell translation app, which provides emergency alerts in over 100 languages/dialects. Visit the Sheriff’s Office website for details.
• Residents are invited to sign up for free disaster preparedness workshops offered by the Boulder Office of Emergency Management (OEM), a partnership between Boulder County and the City of Boulder.

More Information

To find out more about the work of the county, visit the county’s Wildfire Mitigation website.

To find out more about the Boulder County fireshed, visit the Boulder County Fireshed website, which includes the 2020 fireshed agreement between federal, state, and local governments and non-profit entities in Boulder County to establish a shared vision for reducing the risk of wildfire to its people, communities, recreation areas, and natural resources through closely coordinated forest and grasslands management across all lands.

For questions about the county’s wildfire mitigation efforts, contact Wildfire Mitigation Program Manager Jim Webster by email wildfiremitigation@bouldercounty.org or phone 720-564-2600.

For questions about disaster preparedness, contact the Office of Emergency Management by email sheriffoem@bouldercounty.org or phone 303 441-3390.

A Proclamation Declaring May 2023 Wildfire Awareness Month in Boulder County

WHEREAS, Boulder County encompasses forest and grasslands that are at high risk of wildfires; and

WHEREAS, wildfires affect both the mountains and plains, including homes, businesses, watersheds, water, power, and communications infrastructure, valuable natural resources, historical and cultural resources, and recreational opportunities; and

WHEREAS, wildfires throughout the Front Range have increased in number, size, and amount of damage caused to personal property and infrastructure over the past several years; and

WHEREAS, Boulder County residents are still recovering from both the Marshall and Cal-Wood Fires, which have dramatically changed the lives of thousands of residents and altered the fabric of many communities; and

WHEREAS, the Boulder County Commissioners and all residents are grateful to the county’s first responders, who work tirelessly to keep our community safe when wildfires strike; and

WHEREAS, Boulder County is experiencing the impacts of the climate crisis in the form of drought, hotter temperatures, and increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events, leading to a year-round wildfire season; and

WHEREAS, Boulder County voters expressed their support and commitment to wildfire mitigation through Boulder County’s 2022 Ballot Measure 1A, which funds the county’s efforts to proactively address the increasing risk of climate-driven wildfires through strategic forest and grassland management projects, updating the Counties Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), (using Fireshed partnerships), and the Wildfire Partners program; and

WHEREAS, since the beginning of the year, Boulder County staff have continued to work with partners to plan, develop, and increase the county’s wildfire mitigation efforts made possible by the voter-approved Ballot Measure 1A funding; and

WHEREAS, Boulder County’s Wildfire Partners is a unique, award-winning program to assist homeowners in the mountains in preparing for future wildfires and this program will soon be available to communities in the plains, building on last year’s successful pilot program; and

WHEREAS, Wildfire Awareness Month aims to educate the public and promote action by residents and community groups to help reduce the number of homes destroyed by future wildfires.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Board of County Commissioners of Boulder County hereby proclaims May 2023 as Wildfire Awareness Month in Boulder County and encourages residents to understand their role in preventing and preparing for future wildfires.

Commissioner Claire Levy Commissioner Marta Loachamin Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann

May 2, 2023

• Contact the Board of County Commissioners

• View Commissioners' Meeting Documents and Records

• Visit the County Commissioners' webpage