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
Wondervu
Resident Action Plan
Here's an overview of the neighborhood as it relates to Fire Potential and Mitigation Efforts.
The Wondervu Plan Unit has the MOST EXTREME Relative Risk Rating.
Under extreme fire weather and during a fire:
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66% of the area could experience very high to extreme fire behavior.
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49% 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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27% of roads (0.8 miles) have potentially non-survivable conditions.
County:
The plan unit is mainly in Boulder County, with a small portion in Gilpin County.
Vegetation, topography, and potential fire behavior:
Wondervu has very dense mixed conifer and lodgepole with aspen intermixed. This dense vegetation creates 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. Most homes are built on hillsides above dense vegetation 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. The dense construction of the area is an added concern as it can allow for building-to-building ignitions. 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. Many homes here have older asphalt or cedar shake roofs that are vulnerable to embers. Most of the homes have fire hazards in home ignition zones 1, 2, and 3 including outbuildings. Many have branches near or over the roof, pine needles and leaves in the gutters, and other flammable items near the home. There are lots of flammable, dilapidated structures.
Roadway accessibility and evacuation capacity:
There are two ways in and out of this community. Most roads cannot accommodate two-way traffic. There are limited turnarounds, which can cause traffic to get backed up or move slowly. The roads in this area are washed out and poorly maintained, which makes them even more difficult to navigate.
Post-fire flooding and sediment delivery potential: The northwest portion of this plan unit is at high risk of post-fire sediment delivery. Many homes are located in this area of high risk, but no critical infrastructure is present.
Fire suppression considerations:
Wondervu has no 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 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
Traci Nyre & Diana Preston
Diana's Bio
Click To Enlarge Map
Recommendations for Residents in
Wondervu
!! Due to the quantity of overlapping hazards in this plan unit, it is designated as the highest risk area within Coal Creek Canyon !!
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Form a fire mitigation group in your plan unit. 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.
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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. Most of the homes in this plan unit are built of highly flammable construction materials such as cedar shake roofs. 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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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 Wondervu should expect to work with 19 neighbors to ensure their HIZ is mitigated.
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Develop an evacuation plan for your family, sign up for emergency notifications from Boulder County, and coordinate with neighbors who might need additional support during evacuations.
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Remove trees, shrubs and tall grasses along private roads and driveways. Where possible, widen roads and driveways and create pullouts and turnarounds to improve evacuation safety and firefighter access.
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Contact your local road association or the appropriate county to remove vegetation along shared roads in the community, particularly along Outlook Dr. 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 visible, reflective address and street signs. Address signs can be purchased from CCCFPD. Contact your local county for installation of reflective street signs.
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Install community cisterns in coordination with CCCFPD.
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Most homes in Wondervu 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 professionally engineered 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 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.
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.