1. Prepare your home for wildfire. Residents should start with hardening their homes, then complete mitigation actions in home ignition zones 1 and 2. Most homes have Class A roofs in this plan unit, but many homes have combustible siding, decking, and wooden fences attached to the homes that should be replaced with ignition-resistant materials. 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.
    

2. Move hazards such as wood piles, propane tanks, and old dilapidated wooden sheds at least 30 ft away from the home.
    

3. Form a fire mitigation group in your plan unit. Organize community-wide 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.
    

4. Develop an evacuation plan for your family, sign up for emergency notifications from both Boulder and Jefferson Counties, and coordinate with neighbors who might need additional support during evacuations.
    

5. Install visible, reflective address and street signs. Address signs can be purchased from CCCFPD. Contact your county for installation of reflective street signs.
    

6. Contact the appropriate county to remove vegetation along shared roads in the community, particularly along Chute Rd, Gross Dam Rd, Tunnel 19 Rd, and Juniper Heights Rd.
    

7. Work with CCCFPD and the counties to identify a feasible secondary egress route out of the plan unit.
    

8. 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. If you live in Boulder County, become Wildfire Partners certified.

9. Install community cisterns in coordination with CCCFPD.
    

10. 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 Chute Road should expect to work with 1 neighbor to ensure their HIZ is mitigated.
     

11. Support Denver Water and partners for the Gross Dam Road / Flagstaff Road Roadside Fuel Reduction project. Support your local community organizations and the USFS in working on the Central Corridor Rail Line Ignition Reduction project. Support CDOT and partners for the Highway 72 Roadside Fuel Reduction project.
     

12. Homes scattered around Chute Canyon could be exposed to damaging post-fire flooding and sediment delivery. Homeowners are encouraged to take proactive measures to prepare, including

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(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.