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
Gap Road
(Upper Twin Spruce)
Resident Action Plan
Here's an overview of the neighborhood as it relates to Fire Potential and Mitigation Efforts.
The Upper Twin Spruce Plan Unit has an EXTREME Relative Risk Rating.
Under extreme fire weather and during a fire:
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54% of the area could experience very high to extreme fire behavior.
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69% of homes are exposed to radiant heat from burning vegetation.
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100% of homes are exposed to embers from burning vegetation.
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44% of roads (7.6 miles) have potentially non-survivable conditions.
County:
About two-thirds of the plan unit residents are in Jefferson County and one third in Gilpin County.
Vegetation, topography, and potential fire behavior:
Upper Twin Spruce is mostly covered by dense mixed conifer, with lodgepole pine stands and some ponderosa pine scattered throughout. Slopes are steep with many narrow valleys and ridges that could increase unpredictable fire behavior. There is some potential for extreme fire behavior due to the slopes and dense vegetation.
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 here 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. Homes located along Skyline Drive appear to be built with more ignition-resistant materials and tend to have mitigation completed in zones 1 and 2, but other areas of the neighborhood are more varied in their construction and defensible space.
Roadway accessibility and evacuation capacity:
There are two ways out of the area once residents get to Gap Road. However, a couple of the neighborhood roads are steep, narrow, or only have one-lane, which will make it difficult for residents to evacuate and for firefighters to access and protect homes during a wildfire. Some properties had livestock that may require additional time to evacuate.
Fire suppression considerations:
Upper Twin Spruce does not have hydrants and there are not enough cisterns in the area to defend the homes. There are overhead powerlines throughout the plan unit. Downed powerlines can be an ignition source and hazard to firefighters and residents. Many of the homes do not have clear and reflective address signs, which make them difficult for firefighters to find.
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.
Your Ambassadors are
Jessica Gregg & Richard D'Ardenne
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Click To Enlarge Map
Recommendations for Residents in
Upper Twin Spruce
1. 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 ignition zone (HIZ) 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. Replace wooden fences with non-combustible fencing material.
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 Jefferson and Gilpin County (and consider signing up for Boulder County emergency notifications too), 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 Gap Rd, Lyttle Dowdle Dr, Nadm Dr, and Standing Pines. 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.
7. Install community cisterns in coordination with CCCFPD.
8. 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 Upper Twin Spruce should expect to work with 2 neighbors to ensure their HIZ is mitigated.
9. Advocate for county support from Jefferson and Gilpin Counties to implement a program like Wildfire Partners and host a slash sort yard or more collection events located in the fire district.