for a free Wildfire Assessment, or contact:
Eagle County
970-328-8816
katie.jenkins@eaglecounty.us
Wildfires are larger and more destructive than ever.
Twenty of Colorado’s largest wildfires have occurred within the last twenty years. Four out of the five largest fires in state history have occurred within the last five years, including the most destructive fire in state history, the Marshall Fire, on December 30, 2021. Warmer temperatures, drought, and continued development in the wildland-urban interface have made wildfire mitigation a top priority for Eagle County.
Wildfires in winter have become a new normal.
According to the Department of Agriculture, wildfire season has become longer because winter snows are melting earlier and rain is coming later in the fall. What was once a four-month fire season now lasts six to eight months. Other contributing factors are persistent drought, and tree mortality from invasive species.
How can there be fires in the snow?
If an area does not get rain in the fall and the first snow of the year is dry, snow conditions exist for wildfire danger. Additionally, dry snow has enough air to fuel fire, but not enough water to quench it. However, sufficiently wet, dense snow can help extinguish fires. Those who live in fire-prone areas should create defensible spaces, and develop family plans for evacuation. See below for tips on how to prepare yourselves and your household for fire even in the winter time.
Learn about your Home Ignition Zone and steps that you can take to reduce wildfire risk in and around your home by signing up for a REALFire home assessment. These voluntary assessments are performed by trained fire professionals and may qualify you for a cost-share assistance grant that will cover a portion of your mitigation work.
To learn more and to submit an application, please visit realfire.net
Wildfire Mitigation Specialist Katie Jenkins conducts a REALfire assessment with a homeowner.
If you experienced a total loss of your home during a wildfire, would you remember all of your possessions? Having an up-to-date home inventory will help you get your insurance claim settled faster. There is no better time to create an inventory than winter. Check in with your insurance provider to see how they recommend creating and uploading a full inventory of your belongings.
Your home is your most important asset and it's vital that you protect it.
Winter is a great time to check in on your insurance coverage. Call your agent or insurance company annually to discuss your policy limits and to make sure that your policy reflects the correct square footage and features in your home. Potential questions to ask your provider can be seen below:
How much is my house insured for? How was that amount of coverage determined?
If my home was destroyed today, how much would it be depreciated?
Do I have the best policy available?
Does my policy cover Replacement Value for my home and personal property?
Does my policy cover Additional Living Expenses? For how long? (Or how much, if it’s a set dollar amount?)
Do I have Extended Replacement coverage? How much? Does it apply to anything besides my house?
How much coverage do I have for my detached garage, shop, and other outbuildings and landscaping?
Does my policy cover the increased cost of upgrades dictated by changes in building codes or laws (Ordinance and Law coverage), and how much?
What does my policy cover if I’m officially evacuated for a fire or any other reason? Do I need to pay the deductible?
Does my policy cover debris removal? How much?
What’s my deductible? How much would I save if I increased it?
Are there any available discounts I could qualify for?
Is there anything else I can do to decrease my premium?
Be in the know and sign up for the Eagle County Alert System to receive the latest information about wildfire incidents and evacuation notices. Subscribers can elect to receive time-sensitive emergency messages to their phone, desktop, and/or mobile device. Sign up here for EC Alert.
ReachWell App
Receive emergency alerts in 130+ languages with the County’s app from ReachWell. It is easy to sign up, and you can begin receiving notifications right away:
Familiarizing yourself with the evacuation route.
Do you have a plan in place in case of an emergency evacuation?
Winter is a perfect time to create an evacuation plan that details an emergency meeting location, evacuation routes and means of communication for yourself and your family members and guests.
This winter, prepare yourself for wildfire by creating a go-bag with plans for your 6 P's:
People and pets
Important papers
Prescriptions, vitamins, and eye glasses
Photographs and memorabilia
Personal computers and external hard-drives
Important plastic (emergency credit or debit cards)
During an emergency, it's important that first responders know where to go when they're called to a property.
By making sure your address number is visible, you will allow emergency responders to locate you quicker.
This winter, ensure that your address marker is visible by removing excessive growth surrounding it and making sure that all of the numbers are still legible. If you don't have a clear address marker, order and install one that is reflective, has large numbers, and is placed in a visible location.
Community Wildfire Protection Plans are designed to identify and prioritize areas of risk and to provide guidance for protecting life, property, and infrastructure through strategic mitigation actions in a specific location. In December of 2023, the Eagle County Wildfire Collaborative published a Community Wildfire Protection Plan with the help of stakeholders representing various groups across the county. You can Learn more about specific priority mitigation areas and explore Eagle County's mitigation project map through our wildfire protection plan website, and the full plan can be found here.
During the planning process, the Eagle County Wildfire Collaborative brought together residents, landowners, state and federal agencies, municipalities, metro districts, fire districts, non-profits, utility providers, conservation groups and others to assess the risks specific to Eagle County to develop a plan to reduce the potential impact of wildfires. These stakeholders were formally tasked with providing unique knowledge and perspectives relative to their areas of expertise in order to help identify risks and develop effective mitigation strategies.
Four goals shared amongst stakeholders are highlighted in the CWPP and are intended to motivate and empower local government, communities, and property owners to organize, plan, and take action on issues impacting the safety and resilience of values at risk in the WUI. These goals are as follows:
Reducing risks to public health and safety posed by wildfire disasters
Reducing structure ignitability and improving community wildfire resilience
Protecting critical infrastructure from negative wildfire impacts
Protecting ecosystems and natural resources by decreasing the probability of landscape scale, high severity wildfire events
The Eagle County CWPP was formally put into place in December, 2023. Take a look at the completed plan here.
For information about open burn permits or building permits in Eagle County, visit Eagle County Mitigation and Wildfire Protection