Four Mile Fire Department -- Getting Gear

	Boulder Community Network \| Emergency Center

Four Mile Fire Department Begins Wildfire Hazard Assessment

The Four Mile Fire Department is undertaking a survey of the homes, available water sources and other geographic information, to help us prepare for future wildfires in our district. Collecting this information before a fire gives us invaluable knowledge when defending our community. As many of you know we undertook a similar survey several years ago. New homes have been built and many others have changed. We want to insure that we have complete and accurate information about the homes. These surveys are for use only by the officers of the department and will not be made public. Please feel free to ask the surveyors to explain any part of the surveys. We are also available to present to you and your neighbors a more in-depth discussion about wildfires and their effect on our community and your home.

In the following months, trained volunteers will be visiting each of the homes to collect the following types of information:

Access to your home
Knowing the type of driveway or road that you use to access your home helps us send the correct type of fire engine to your home. For example, some steep or windy roads are only accessible by shorter four wheel drive engines. Also knowing whether we can turn an engine around at or near your home is a critical safety issue for fire fighters.

Nearby Water Sources
Since our district does not contain much water, our volunteers will be collecting information about different water sources including location, size, and proximity to your home. We will identify the closest large water source to each home, critical time saving information during a wildfire or house fire.

Landscaping
Identifying the type, density and proximity of vegetation to your home is another important part of our survey. Dense vegetation adjacent to homes makes defending your home more difficult. Thinned trees and mowed grasses can often mean the difference between success and failure for firefighters.

Construction
There are many different types of home construction. Some are more vulnerable to ignition by wildfire than others. Our volunteers will collect information about decks, siding and roofing materials.

Possible Mitigation Ideas
While we are at your home our firefighters will look to see if there are any obvious efforts that you can take to reduce your risk of losing your home during a fire. Ideas such as removing leaves, grass or wood from under decks and gutters can be quite easy and very effective.

Additional Information

For more information about this survey, contact Chief Bret Gibson by e-mail at bldmtnldge@netzero.net or by phone at (303) 444-0882.