WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A "FIREWISE" COMMUNITY?
Since 2002, The Firewise Communities/USA Recognition Program has empowered neighbors to work together in reducing their wildfire risk. Join the growing network of more than 1200 recognized Firewise communities across the nation taking action and ownership in preparing and protecting their homes against the threat of wildfire.

Using a five-step process, communities develop an action plan that guides their residential risk reduction activities, while engaging and encouraging their neighbors to become active participants in building a safer place to live. Neighborhoods throughout the United States are embracing the benefits of becoming a recognized Firewise Community – and you can too!Steps to Become a Firewise USA™ Site
  1. Form a Firewise USA™ board or committee.
  2. Obtain a wildfire risk assessment from the CSFS or your local fire department and create an action plan.
  3. Hold a Firewise USA™ event once per year.
  4. Invest a minimum of $26.78 per dwelling unit annually in risk reduction activities.
  5. Apply for recognition using the Firewise USA™ program management portal. The application can be started at any point in this process.
To learn more about the Firewise USA™ recognition program, visit the national Firewise USA™ website.
Active Firewise USA™ communities may renew their designations through the program management portal.
          Courtney Peterson, Wildfire Mitigation Ed Coordinator
          Colorado State Forest Service
          5060 Campus Delivery 
          Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
          (970) 491-2832
          [email protected]
NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
Check out the latest edition of NFPA's Fire Break Newsletter here.
READY, SET, GO!
Both Platte Canyon Fire District and Elk Creek Fire District (which covers several communities in North Park County) encourage all of us to know what to do in case a wildfire threatens our homes. Check out the publication Ready, Set, Go! on Ready, Set, Go! website here.

CODE RED® PROGRAM
Park County Code RED® program --register your phone number(s) at www.parkco.us (click on the Code RED® button on the right side of the home page) to receive emergency notifications.

     Caution: we encourage you to sign up for Code Red® but rely on your own judgment about evacuating if a wildfire is anywhere near you. The Code Red® system is not infallible. See California Fires: Communities Need More Than Evacuation Plans and Emergency Alert System Failed, People Were Trapped

OTHER HELPFUL MATERIALS
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Publication number 6.302, entitled Creating Wildfire-Defensible Zones, is available here. Check out the website Firewise.org for a plethora of information on wildfire safety.
REFLECTIVE GREEN ADDRESS SIGNS
The 6” by 18” green address signs with white reflective numbers are available for $10. These are the same signs, at the same price, available for sale at Park County administrative offices in Fairplay -- just closer! To order one, call Andrea Black at the Platte Canyon Fire Station at Crow Hill, ‭(303) 838-5853‬, or email her.