Date: 09/04/2015
Final
Local Government Response
WILDFIRE MATTERS REVIEW COMMITTEE
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10:15 AM -- Local Government Response
Commissioner Gibbs, representing Colorado Counties, Inc. (CCI), remained at the table to discuss what local communities are doing regarding wildfire preparedness and other proactive measures being taken. Commissioner Gibbs discussed the results of a recent survey done by CCI of Colorado counties asking about their county's building codes and zoning in WUI areas, and any tools/resources in place to help protect homes. A summary of the survey results is provided in Attachment D.
150904 AttachD.pdf
Commissioner Gibbs also highlighted the actions being taken within Summit County, including the Summit County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), the county's chipping program (Attachment E), and related direct mailing sent by county realtors (Attachment F). Commissioner Gibbs discussed the county's work with Headwaters Economics, Wildfire Planning International, and The Clarion Group to look at the county's CWPP and how it interacts with the county's land use development and building codes in regards to wildfire preparedness. Commissioner Gibbs also provided two additional handouts to the committee from Summit County (Attachments G and H).
150904 AttachE.pdf
150904 AttachF.pdf
150904 AttachG.pdf
150904 AttachH.pdf
10:23 AM
Meghan Dollar, Colorado Municipal League (CML), discussed CML's efforts to understand which communities are involved in various wildfire mitigation activities, including CWPPs, Firewise Communities, Fire Adapted Communities, and other programs. Ms. Dollar indicated that there are approximately 100 communities in Colorado that are engaged in some form of wildfire mitigation activity. Ms. Dollar also spoke about communities engaging in mitigation days, as is done in Nederland, the importance of partnerships in community wildfire mitigation efforts, and she highlighted several other efforts within various other Colorado cities. A summary of these community efforts is provided in Attachment I.
150904 AttachI.pdf
Ms. Dollar responded to questions from the committee regarding mitigation efforts in Estes Park, including the city's public education outreach efforts, the city's chipping program, and the city's CWPP.
10:29 AM
Jim Webster, Wildfire Partners Program Coordinator in Boulder County, spoke about Boulder County's wildfire mitigation efforts and the county's experiences with past WUI wildfires. Mr. Webster discussed lessons learned from a report done following the Fourmile Canyon Fire, including:
- there is an opportunity to significantly reduce the potential for WUI fire disasters;
- a change in approach is required in order to reduce the potential for WUI fire disasters;
- the responsibility for reducing vulnerability to wildfires lies with homeowner; and
- WUI fire disasters cannot be prevented without homeowners actively creating and maintaining home ignition zones with low ignition potential.
Mr. Webster discussed issues related to existing homes that are not subject to newer building codes, the difficulty homeowners face in obtaining insurance and the difficulty insurance companies face in assessing the risk, and how to ensure that mitigation efforts are effective. Mr. Webster also spoke about the importance of partnerships and collaboration.
Mr. Webster continued with a discussion of Wildfire Partners, including its history and funding sources. Mr. Webster spoke about how Wildfire Partners includes representatives from the insurance industry, realtors, and other private sector entities. Mr. Webster described the work Wildfire Partners does to help educate homeowners regarding proper mitigation and mitigation certification efforts.
Mr. Webster provided the committee with several legislative recommendations, including:
- continuing to support mitigation efforts;
- continuing to fund the Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant Program; and
- converting the wildfire mitigation tax deduction to a tax credit.
Mr. Webster provided the committee with a handout outlining how a homeowner can apply to become part of Wildfire Partners (Attachment J) and an example of a resource Wildfire Partners provides to homeowners in the program concerning defensible space (Attachment K).
150904 AttachJ.pdf
150904 AttachK.pdf
10:37 AM
The panel responded to questions regarding the impact that gaining certification through the Wildfire Partners mitigation program has on the homeowner's ability to obtain homeowners insurance and how often mitigation must be done by homeowners that are involved in Wildfire Partners. The panel also responded to questions regarding the Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant Program, including how successful the program has been, how the grants work, how the grants are used, and how the grant program compares to a tax credit. The panel also responded to questions from the committee about what percentage of houses in Boulder County are properly mitigated and details related to the Fourmile Canyon Fire.
Ms. Dollar also commented on the importance of the DTRS.