Coal Creek Canyon
Community Wildfire Protection Plan
Neighbors Helping Neighbors Protect Our Homes From Wildfire
Step 1
Step 2
Review Your Resident Action Plan
Step 5
Burke
Resident Action Plan
Here's an overview of the neighborhood as it relates to Fire Potential and Mitigation Efforts.
The Burke Plan Unit has The Most EXTREME Relative Risk Rating.
Under extreme fire weather and during a fire:
-
65% of the area could experience very high to extreme fire behavior.
-
55% of homes are exposed to radiant heat from burning vegetation.
-
100% of homes are exposed to embers from burning vegetation.
-
42% of roads (1.1 miles) have potentially non-survivable conditions.
County:
The entire plan unit is in Jefferson County.
Vegetation, topography, and potential fire behavior:
Burke is situated at the bottom of a drainage with dense mixed conifer covering the area. There are steep slopes and valleys that could increase unpredictable fire behavior. Extreme fire behavior is very likely to occur here.
Hazards in the home ignition zone:
The main threat to the homes in this plan unit is embers landing on roofs or within 30 feet of the home and igniting it. Most homes in this neighborhood are built on hillsides and are at higher fire risk. Firefighters may not be able to protect these homes in an extreme wildfire event due to the slopes and limited road access with no escape routes.
Most homes in the unit are older and were not built with ignition-resistant materials. For example, wood siding and decking can easily ignite when exposed to direct flames or embers from a wildfire. Many homes have older asphalt roofs that are vulnerable to embers. Many of the homes have fire hazards in home ignition zones 1, 2, and 3, including stacks of wood pallets, fencing, and other flammable materials under decks and next to the home.
Roadway accessibility and evacuation capacity:
There is only one way in and out of this community. Burke Road and Fischer Road are one-lane roads without good turnarounds for fine engines, which will make it difficult for residents to evacuate and for firefighters to access and protect homes during a wildfire.
Post-fire flooding and sediment delivery potential:
Most of this plan unit is at high risk of post-fire sediment delivery. Nearly every home is within this area of elevated risk, as well as a major aboveground power line.
Fire suppression considerations:
Burke does not have any fire hydrants, and there are no other quality water sources for firefighters. Some homes do not have reflective address signs, and there are overhead powerlines that are hanging too low for some engines to make it under without assistance.
Your Ambassadors are Rick Makely, Todd Salzer, and
Julie Gauff
Ambassadors are volunteer liaisons to members in their own Plan Unit to help them learn about programs available to them. Ambassadors provide information, community resources and help organize community mitigation projects to reduce wildfire risk around homes and in neighborhoods.
Contact Burke at
Click To Enlarge Map
Click To Enlarge Map
Priority Recommendations for Residents in
Burke
! Due to the quantity of overlapping hazards in this plan unit, it is designated as the highest risk area within
Coal Creek Canyon !
-
Develop an evacuation plan for your family, sign up for emergency notifications from Jefferson County (and consider signing up for Boulder County emergency notifications too), and coordinate with neighbors who might need additional support during evacuations.
-
Prepare your home for wildfire. Residents should start with hardening their homes, then complete mitigation actions in home ignition zones 1 and 2. It is recommended that every homeowner in this plan unit gets a home assessment from their county or CCCFPD’s partners to identify specific mitigation actions that need to be taken, as actions will vary among homes.
-
Form a fire mitigation group in your plan unit or neighborhood. Find out how to organize a neighborhood event with your local Saws and Slaws group and volunteer at those events.
-
Move hazards such as wood piles, propane tanks, and old wooden sheds at least 30 ft away from the home. Replace wooden fences with non-combustible fencing material.
-
Contact your local road association or the county to remove vegetation along shared roads in the community, particularly along Burke Rd and Fischer Rd.
-
Install visible, reflective address and street signs. Address signs can be purchased from CCCFPD. Contact your county for installation of reflective street signs.
-
Work with CCCFPD and Jefferson County to improve road access within the Burke residential areas for firefighters and residents. There are currently no adequate turnarounds or exit locations.
-
Work with CCCFPD and Jefferson County to identify a feasible secondary egress route out of the community.
-
Install community cisterns in coordination with CCCFPD.
-
Work with neighbors to create linked defensible space. Projects that span multiple properties are more effective at reducing wildfire risk. Contractor costs can sometimes be shared among homeowners, reducing the cost for everyone involved. On average, residents in Burke should expect to work with 4-5 neighbors to ensure their HIZ is mitigated.
-
Support Jefferson County Road and Bridge, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and their partners in initiating and completing the Twin Spruce Road / Gap Road Roadside Fuel Reduction project.
-
Advocate for county support from Jefferson County to implement a program like Wildfire Partners and host a slash sort yard or more collection events located in the fire district.
-
Almost all homes in Burke could be exposed to damaging post-fire flooding and sediment delivery.
Homeowners are encouraged to take proactive measures to prepare, including
-
working with your insurance agent to determine your need for flood insurance and/or an earth movement, earthquake, and landslide rider to your homeowner’s policy,
- elevating and anchoring electrical panels, propane tanks, wiring, appliance, and heating systems,
- securing important documents in waterproof deposit boxes,
-
ensuring sump pumps are working and have battery- operated backup power sources,
-
installing professionally engineered terraces or slope drains that could protect your home but without altering drainage patterns that could worsen conditions for your neighbors, and
-
consulting with a qualified forester to discuss pre-fire fuel treatments to limit sediment delivery damages from burn scars. Reducing fuel loading in areas of concern can reduce wildfire severity, decrease the likelihood that hydrophobic soils (soils that repel water) form, and reduce the loss of roots, vegetation, and plant litter that hold soil in place. Reduced fire severity can therefore reduce the potential for flooding and sediment transport in some cases. Visit the storymap “A dangerous path” from the Boulder Watershed Collective for more information on preparing for debris flows.