May is Wildfire Awareness Month and the word preparedness is very much on our minds around the firehouse. We want you to know that our goal is to keep all wildfires small but as we have already seen this year, within the county and nationwide, we will not always succeed and will need your help and cooperation should a large event occur.

Oxford defines preparedness, as “a state of readiness, especially for war.” The real truth is there is the potential of war in our mountains…a war with a wildfire.

Preparedness comes in many forms. In reading this brief article, we hope you will realize that your efforts before and during a wildfire can mean that responders can be more effective. It takes a village, as the saying goes. You also increase your chances of survival in what can quickly turn into a very dangerous situation. Now is the time, before the fire arrives, to make every effort to assist your local responders in the fight, should a wildfire come to our area again. Our priority in the fire service is always the life safety of responders and the public, second is the preservation of property. Our actions are based on this priority, and you can do a lot to help make those decisions easier for responders.

Preparedness at home is an excellent first step. Let’s mainly focus on “Zone 1” which is defined as 0-5 feet from buildings. Have you mitigated your property (fuel reduction, limbing of trees) and removed other potential fire hazards close, or touching, the exterior of your residence? Pine needles piling up against walls have been known to capture embers and ignite a home hours after the fire front has passed. Burnable materials like firewood stacked against the house or on a deck have been the cause of past property loss. Are your gutters clear of organic materials? Is your house address clearly marked and visible at the beginning of your driveway and/ or private road?

By reducing risks like these around your home, you give us a better chance to respond to calls in a timely fashion and protect your home from wildfire by making your property less receptive to fire. If suggestions like these go undone, it can make it hard for us to find your home and commit time to your residence when the fire is approaching. We need to utilize our efforts efficiently, often with limited time and resources to prep homes for an advancing fire. If you do some work, we can too. Wildfire Partners is an excellent resource for information and mitigation consultation. https:// wildfirepartners.org/

Family/Friends preparedness can also make a serious situation a little less stressful. Develop a communication plan with all the residences of your home or property, include your neighbors, if appropriate. Group texting, a phone tree, predetermined meeting places, etc. Whatever it takes to be able to account for your people, in the event of an evacuation, is an excellent idea. Firefighters also implement accountability systems for this very same reason. We recommend you sign up for emergency notifications through the county’s Everbridge system.

Please visit https:// member. everbridge.net/ index/453003085612231 for detailed information and sign up today!

Evacuation Preparedness is critical to survival in a dangerous situation. Knowing two ways out is something we teach our firefighters. Whether they are using a chain saw and identifying two escape routes to get away from a falling tree or heading up on to a roof to ventilate during a structure fire by confirming two ladders are in place to get back to the ground safely. Know and practice your escape routes both out of your house and out of your neighborhood! You might make a left out of your driveway every morning to go to work, take that right sometimes and make sure you are equally comfortable with alternate routes out of your area. Don’t have an alternate route out? This might be a good time to talk with the neighbors and create one.

When/if you get the evacuation notice, a plan in place makes leaving in a timely fashion much easier and with less panic. Nederland fire maintains a website with information, schedules, and events. We regularly utilize an active Facebook page for ongoing news and events and will initiate posts to our Twitter account with frequent updates during any ongoing larger incident that may impact our fire district.

Here’s a few additional sites to visit with good information to get started on your preparedness efforts: https://www.bouldercounty.org/ safety/fire/ and https://csfs.colostate.edu/wildfire-mitigation/protect-your- homeproperty-from-wildfire/

We understand that technology is not everyone’s favorite solution but there are many ways to stay informed and get further emergency information and notifications by utilizing the internet and smartphones. For those who prefer more face-to-face information, NFPD will be hosting an in-person wildfire information meeting on May 7 at the Nederland Community Center from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Come hear from experts, see some engines and ask questions of the presenters.

You can also find us at the local Sunday farmer’s market throughout the summer. Our station is generally open to the public during business hours, Monday thru Friday, unless there is a major incident, training or project that requires the entire crew’s attention. We always encourage an immediate call to “9-1-1” with any true Emergency.

Remain alert and help us to stay safe this summer.