Fire Safety
Special Fire Safety when Living in the Mountains
Firepits
Recreational fires in Colorado are fires that don’t exceed 3 feet in diameter and two feet in height and are typically legal year-round for residents unless there are fire restrictions or a fire ban.
Our community owners are very concerned when an owner uses a fire pit without a grate or available water.
Advertising a property for sale with a fire pit photo in the middle of a non-mitigated lot gives buyers the wrong idea.
It is the owner’s responsibility to notify anyone on or using their property that they must have a grate and available water to start a fire pit, regardless of the county current fire restrictions.
Landscaping
If you have moved to the mountains from a lowland, you may not be aware of the risk of the landscaping materials you use.
Using bark mulch in beds close to your home is not a good idea in a fire prone mountains.
Please talk to our fire ambassador about fire mitigation strategies
Open Burning
Open burning includes the burning of tree slash for forest mitigation. Jefferson County Public Health issues open burning permits for agricultural and forest management burning located at 6400 feet or above.
As a general guideline, tree slash should not be burned if you can access and haul away the pile. These piles can be chipped or hauled to approved slash collection sites.
In addition, most fire departments have restrictions that allow for open burning only when snow cover is present. Contact coniferfire.org for specific requirements.
Evacuations
If you see/smell smoke or flames and think there may be a wildfire (and if you are not in immediate danger) call 911.
If you feel you are in danger from a wildfire or other emergency, evacuate to a safe place and then call 911.
Do not wait to be notified of an evacuation before you leave. If you do not feel safe, evacuate.
Evacuation alerts will come from the sheriff’s office via Lookout Alert. (They will not come from Katrina or Ruth.)
If you get a Pre-Evacuation alert, pack your car and be ready to evacuate immediately. If you feel unsafe, need extra time, or have large animals, go ahead and evacuate.
If you get an Evacuation alert, leave as soon as possible. Because of our limited roads up here and the number of people who will use them in an emergency, the sheriff’s office tries to issue evacuation alerts early enough to prevent major traffic problems. If you wait to evacuate, you may be making it more dangerous for your neighbors and the firefighters.
If you have questions about evacuations, ask your Community Ambassador or go to rotarywildfireready.com or Jeffco’s Be Your Own Hero website.