Boulder's Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) (Photo: City of Boulder)
Boulder Fire-Rescue (BFR) is rolling out a new Wildfire Home Assessment Project that aims to conduct an assessment of each home within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) boundary of the City of Boulder. 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 says recent California wildfires underscore the need to take action by fully assessing risk.
"The curbside assessment will provide valuable data to both homeowners and incident responders as to the preparedness level of each home in the WUI and may provide motivation to homeowners to be proactive in preparing their home for a wildfire event," a statement said.
The department will make notifications to homeowners before the project begins in their neighborhood. 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).