Homeowners here would have to create 30-foot firebreaks around their houses clear of trees and brush under a wildfire-protection ordinance being proposed by town officials.
The efforts are intended to prevent spread of fire and allow for safe evacuation for residents and safe access for firefighters.
Town staff members and the Red, White and Blue Fire Protection District are working with the Colorado State Forest Service to develop a map designating the areas covered by the ordinance.
Areas south of County Road 450 (which begins at the 7-Eleven off Colorado 9) such as the lower Warrior’s Mark and Shock Hill subdivisions likely will be among the first affected by the proposed ordinance, which would take effect this summer.
The rest of the areas within town limits will be included in the next three to four years. The fire district will conduct inspections, and property owners would required to comply within a year.
A $45 permit will be required before tree-cutting occurs. If the proposal is adopted, the first round of certified letters alerting property owners of the requirements likely would be sent this spring, Scott said.
A draft of the ordinance indicates that defensible spaces should not be created through clear cutting, but the firebreak “shall generally be created by all flammable and combustible vegetation” within the 30-foot zone.
You can visit www.firewise.org for preventative landscaping plans and suggested vegetation.
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