BOULDER, Colo — Boulder Fire Rescue (BFR) is rolling out a new Wildfire Home Assessment Project that will assess each home within the Wildland Urban Interface boundary (where forests and urban areas collide), according to a news release from the city.
The initial curbside assessment will be conducted by uniformed BFR personnel during business hours from the viewpoint of the street, sidewalk or public property, and will not access private property. The curbside assessments are designed to capture a general impression of how well each home is prepared for a wildfire event, the city said.
The curbside assessment will "provide valuable data to both homeowners and incident responders as to the preparedness level of each home" in the boundary and may provide motivation to homeowners to be proactive in preparing their home for a wildfire.
The department said they will make notifications to homeowners before the project begins in their neighborhood. The city said homeowners and renters who wish to improve their rating or learn more about how to better prepare their home against the threat of a wildfire can schedule a free detailed assessment at any time.
This project is intended to be among the first steps in creating a Fire Adapted Community within the city of Boulder. Creating Fire Adapted Communities is one of three tenants of the National Cohesive Strategy to prepare for wildfires -- the other two being resilient landscapes and improving fire response, the city said.
Colorado's state forester's office found 2.9 million people in Colorado live in the Wildland Urban Interface -- that's more than half of the state's population.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS