Community in Action: A Summer of Saws & Slaws

This summer, neighbors across Coal Creek Canyon rolled up their sleeves to reduce wildfire risk around their homes and neighborhoods through a series of Saws & Slaws work parties. Thanks to funding from the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Ready, Set, Go! (RSG) Program, five of these volunteer events were held throughout the canyon during June and July.

Saws & Slaws brings neighbors together for hands-on wildfire mitigation work. Volunteers spend the day cutting and moving vegetation, limbing trees, reducing ladder fuels, and cleaning up areas around participating properties. The program combines community volunteer power with the tools, leadership, and organization needed to tackle projects that can otherwise feel overwhelming for individual property owners.

This year, the RSG grant helped make five work parties possible in the Gap Road, Hilltop, Coal Creek Heights, Wondervu, and Vonnie Claire Plan Units. Across the five events, 64 volunteers participated and helped generate more than 500 cubic yards of slash.

Of course, cutting vegetation is only part of the job. Once all that material is on the ground, it still needs to go somewhere. A major focus of the RSG grant was helping cover the cost of chipping and hauling the slash generated during the work parties. J&J Fire Mitigation provided chipping and hauling services, allowing volunteers to focus their time and energy on completing mitigation work while ensuring the resulting slash was properly removed.

These work parties also demonstrated just how much can be accomplished when neighbors work together. A few hours of volunteer labor from a group of residents can make a significant difference, while also giving participants an opportunity to learn from one another, meet their neighbors, and build momentum for future wildfire mitigation efforts.

The project supports the goals of the 2024 Coal Creek Canyon Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), which identifies neighborhood-level action, defensible space, and community involvement as important pieces of improving wildfire resilience throughout the canyon. Community Ambassadors helped connect residents with these opportunities and supported the coordination of work within their Plan Units.

A huge thank you goes to the volunteers, participating property owners, Community Ambassadors, Saws & Slaws leaders, project partners, and contractors who helped make these events possible. Funding can provide the resources to get a project started, but it is the time and effort contributed by community members that turns those resources into meaningful work on the ground.

The five work parties may be complete, but wildfire mitigation is an ongoing effort. Residents can continue to get involved by connecting with their Community Ambassador, learning more about their CWPP Plan Unit, participating in future volunteer opportunities, and taking steps to reduce wildfire risk around their own homes and properties.

Every pile moved, branch cut, and hour volunteered adds up. This summer was a great example of what Coal Creek Canyon can accomplish when neighbors work together.