Central Canyon

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Step 1

Locate Your Plan Unit

Step 2

Review Your Resident Action Plan

Resident Action Plan

Here's an overview of the neighborhood as it relates to Fire Potential and Mitigation Efforts.

The Central Canyon Plan Unit has a HIGH Relative Risk Rating.

Under extreme fire weather and during a fire:

56% of the area could experience very high to extreme fire behavior.
44% of homes are exposed to radiant heat from burning vegetation.
100% of homes are exposed to embers from burning vegetation.
38% of roads (93.5 miles) have potentially non-survivable conditions.

County:

The entire plan unit is in Jefferson County.

Vegetation, topography, and potential fire behavior:

The Central Canyon plan unit has dense forested vegetation comprised of ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, other conifers, and aspen trees. The slopes are steep on either side of the canyon, creating the potential for extreme fire behavior. Most of the homes are built mid-slope, which puts them at risk of a fire that could be spreading through the canyon.

Hazards in the home ignition zone:

Homes throughout this plan unit have mixed construction materials. About half of the homes are older and were not built with fire-resistant materials, while the other half of homes are built with fire-resistant materials such as metal roofs. Some homes have hazards in home ignition zones 1, 2, and 3 such as branches overhanging roofs, pine needles accumulated in gutters, and vegetation within the first 5 feet of homes. The main threat to homes in this plan unit is embers igniting in zones 1 and 2.

Roadway accessibility and evacuation capacity:

The main roads in this plan unit are well maintained and accessible for firefighters. Highway 72 (Coal Creek Canyon Rd) can accommodate two-way traffic, but residential roads are one-way with some pullouts and turnarounds. There are only 2 egress routes for residents in this plan unit (i.e., NW up the canyon or SE down the canyon).

Post-fire flooding and sediment delivery potential:

Nearly all this plan unit is at high risk of post-fire sediment delivery. Most homes along Highway 72, Brumm Trail, and Cattle Trail Dr are at elevated risk. Highway 72 itself, as well as three bridges and major aboveground powerlines are located in this area of high risk.

Fire suppression considerations:

Central Canyon does not have fire hydrants, but there is one cistern at CCCFPD Station 1. Many homes do not have visible and reflective address signs, which makes it difficult for firefighters to find them in smokey wildfire conditions. There are overhead powerlines throughout the plan unit. Downed powerlines can be an ignition source and hazard to firefighters and residents.

Your Ambassador is

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.

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Recommendations for Residents in

Central Canyon

Form a fire mitigation group in your plan unit or with your neighbors. Organize home hardening and defensible space tours to demonstrate effective mitigation practices. Find out how to organize a neighborhood event with your local Saws and Slaws group and volunteer at those events.
Prepare your home for wildfire. Residents should start with hardening their homes, then complete mitigation actions in 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.
Move hazards such as wood piles, propane tanks, and old wooden sheds at least 30 ft away from the home.
Develop evacuation plans 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.
Install consistent, legible, reflective address and street signs. Address signs can be purchased from CCCFPD. Contact your county for installation of reflective street signs.
Remove vegetation along roadways to reduce the risk of non-survivable conditions during wildfires, particularly along residential roads and long driveways.
Following initial fuel reduction on Highway 72 by CDOT, support the Highway 72 Roadside Fuel Reduction project by working with community groups and neighbors to treat fuels far enough back from the edge of the road to create a healthy fuelbreak.
Widen residential roads and clear vegetation along narrow roads and driveways to improve accessibility for firefighters during a wildfire.
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 Central Canyon should expect to work with 1 neighbor to ensure their HIZ is mitigated.
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.
Homes in the Central Canyon Plan Unit could be exposed to damaging post-fire flooding and sediment delivery. Homeowners are encouraged to take proactive measures to prepare, including

(1) 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,
(2) elevating and anchoring electrical panels, propane tanks, wiring, appliance, and heating systems,
(3) securing important documents in waterproof deposit boxes,
(4) ensuring sump pumps are working and have battery-operated backup power sources,
(5) 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
(6) 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.