Coal Creek Canyon
Community Wildfire Protection Plan
Neighbors Helping Neighbors Protect Our Homes From Wildfire
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Review Your Resident Action Plan
Step 5
Vonnie Claire
Resident Action Plan
Here's an overview of the neighborhood as it relates to Fire Potential and Mitigation Efforts.
The Vonnie Claire Plan Unit has an HIGH Relative Risk Rating.
Under extreme fire weather and during a fire:
• 54% of the area could experience very high to extreme fire behavior.
• 65% of homes are exposed to radiant heat from burning vegetation.
• 100% of homes are exposed to embers from burning vegetation.
• 33% of roads (3.4 miles) have potentially non-survivable conditions.
County:
The plan unit is half in Jefferson County and half in Boulder County, with most homes in Jefferson County.
Vegetation, topography, and potential fire behavior:
Vonnie Claire is mostly covered by very dense mixed conifer, lodgepole and spruce-fir forest, which create a potential for extreme fire behavior. There are many steep slopes, with many narrow valleys and ridges that could increase unpredictable fire behavior.
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. Many homes 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 steep slopes and limited road access with no escape routes. Many homes in the unit are older and were not built with ignition- resistant materials. For example, wood siding and decking, found on most homes in the unit, can easily ignite when exposed to direct flames or embers from a wildfire. Most homes here have good roofs, but poor siding and decking with additional hazards within 30 ft of home. Some 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. Some have branches near or over the roof, pine needles and leaves in the gutters, and other flammable items near the home. While some homes here have mitigation done in zones 1 and 2, residents in Vonnie Claire need to focus on reducing the presence of hazards in the home ignition zone.
Roadway accessibility and evacuation capacity:
There are only two ways in and out of most of this community. Crescent Lake Road has only one in and out. Practically all roads can accommodate two-way traffic. There are steep roads, switchbacks, and limited turnarounds that can cause traffic to get backed up or move slowly. The roads are generally well maintained with pullouts and turnarounds at dead ends. Residents evacuating livestock can make evacuation times even longer.
Post-fire flooding and sediment delivery potential:
The portion of this plan unit that is north of Highway 72 is at high risk of post-fire sediment delivery. Nearly all the homes north of Highway 72 and one place of worship are located in this area of high risk.
Fire suppression considerations:
Vonnie Claire has few pressurized fire hydrants and very limited access to water for firefighters from other sources. 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 consistent and legible 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
Andrew Dilger & Jon Hamel
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Click To Enlarge Map
Recommendations for Residents in
Vonnie Claire
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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 to identify specific mitigation actions that need to be taken, as actions will vary among homes. Contact Boulder County Wildfire Partners about getting a home assessment and becoming Wildfire Partner Certified.
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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.
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Form a fire mitigation group in your plan unit or neighborhood. 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.
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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.
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Install visible, reflective address and street signs. Address signs can be purchased from CCCFPD. Contact your county for installation of reflective street signs.
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Contact your local HOA or the appropriate county to remove vegetation along shared roads in the community, especially along Highway 72, Crescent Lake Road, Vonnie Claire Road, and Lillis Way. 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.
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Install community cisterns in coordination with CCCFPD.
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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 Vonnie Claire should expect to work with 3 neighbors to ensure their HIZ is mitigated.
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Work with CCCFPD and the counties to identify a feasible secondary egress route for residents along Crescent Lake Rd.
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If you live in Boulder County, contact Boulder County Wildfire Partners about becoming Wildfire Partners Certified. If you live in Jefferson County, advocate for the county to implement a program like Wildfire Partners and host a slash sort yard or more collection events located in the fire district.
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Homes north of Coal Creek Canyon Drive in the Vonnie Claire Plan Unit 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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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,
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elevating and anchoring electrical panels, propane tanks, wiring, appliance, and heating systems,
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securing important documents in waterproof deposit boxes,
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ensuring sump pumps are working and have battery-operated backup power sources,
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installing terraces or slope drains that could protect your home but without altering drainage patterns that could worsen conditions for your neighbors, and
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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. Reduced fire severity can therefore reduce