Wildfire is the No.1 natural hazard in Douglas County, and the newest version of our plan to be prepared includes a call to action for all of us.

The Board of Douglas County Commissioners on Tuesday approved an update to the County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan – a strategic document that identifies actions both the County and citizens can take to reduce the risk of wildfires. The document encourages everyone to do their part.

What is the County doing?

Douglas County’s Wildfire Initiative brings together partners to drive investments in wildfire suppression and mitigation. This year, in addition to approving this plan, the Board took several actions related to wildfire protection:

-Increased Aerial Support for wildfires to ensure a rapid response from the air for 153 days through Oct. 31, 2022. This was the largest investment in County history and the largest for any county in the state. The team has responded to 11 fires since April 12.

-Allocated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to staff the County’s Helitack Program full time.

-Invested ARPA funding to expand the County’s Wildfire Mitigation Defensible Space Program in 2023.

-Increased outreach and education related to wildfire mitigation

On Saturday, Oct. 1, the Douglas County Office of Emergency Management will conduct a full-scale wildfire exercise, starting around 9:45 a.m. near Franktown. The exercise will simulate a fast-moving fire in the area of Hwy 83 and Hwy 86. Homeowners from Franktown area HOAs are participating in an evacuation drill.

What can you do?

-Identify the risk to your property with our online Wildfire Risk Map.

-Clean up around your property using mitigation best practices.

-Sign up for CodeRED emergency alerts.

The Community Wildfire Protection Plan was updated based on your input and that of 14 collaborating fire agencies including both the Colorado State Forest Service and the United States Forest Service, HOAs, Douglas County Conservation District, utility providers, private landowners and more. Citizens representing 15 ZIP codes responded to a survey earlier this year.