Boulder is a beautiful place to live, work and play. The same natural lands that make it special also put the community at significant risk for wildfires. Join the City of Boulder in our shared community responsibility to reduce wildfire risk.

Welcome to the city's first wildfire newsletter! Once a quarter, we will be bringing you more information about the city's multi-departmental and cross-disciplinary approach to wildfire risk reduction and preparation. For this first edition, we thought we'd start by answering some basic questions we frequently hear from community members. 

What do wildland firefighters do?

The City of Boulder has personnel in a variety of departments who are designated and specially trained to respond to wildfires in our community. All Boulder Fire-Rescue firefighters and some members of Open Space and Mountain Parks are "red carded," which means that they are certified to fight wildland fires! These folks are also responsible for managing prescribed burns within the city and on open space. When there is a prescribed burn, you will always find a group of wildland firefighters on scene for safety. We also have a unique group of experts within our Wildland Division who are Wildland Operations Specialists. These folks manage the city's wildland fire resources, monitor high risk weather conditions daily, and train the city's crews. 

What happens on high risk days?

On identified high risk (high fire danger) days, the City of Boulder prepares in a number of ways. First, the wildland fire team brings in more staff to handle the potential call volume. Secondly, Boulder Fire-Rescue staffs more stations within the city that are equipped with wildland rigs so that when a wildfire call happens, resources can be deployed quickly and not take away from resources responding to the city within their day-to-day capacity. 

Why do wildland firefighters wear yellow shirts?

Wildland firefighters wear yellow shirts because yellow stands out and is visible when surrounded by dark smoke. Making our wildland heroes easier to see for their peers and for health and safety personnel mean that we can take better care of them in a challenging situation.

What's inside a wildland firefighters pack?

Tag along in this video as Wildland Operations Specialist Kerry shows us what she typically keeps in her wildland pack - the pack that stays on her back while she maneuvers rough terrain and fights a wildfire.

Are you signed up for emergency alerts? Only 40% of Boulder County residents are. Make sure to sign up for the various emergency alerts, offered by the Boulder Office of Disaster Management, that will provide you with life-saving information during disasters. You can do so in the following ways:

To receive text updates to your phone during a major disaster or emergency (flood, public health crisis, large wildfire) text BOCOInfo to 888-777. These are informational updates only and not emergency notifications. You only need to do this one time to be signed up for this information in any future emergency.

By taking this first step to make sure you have access to accurate and official information, you are making tangible progress towards being more prepared and ready to take action. To learn more about next steps, or to participate in an upcoming preparedness workshop offered through the Boulder Office of Disaster Management, visit www.boulderodm.gov/preparedness

Chautauqua Infrastructure Improvements

Essential infrastructure elements are being improved, specifically electric utility lines, making the area more wildfire resilient.

Cattle Help Reduce Wildfire Fuels

The city is using cattle grazing as a tool to reduce vegetation on the ground in a more natural way, improving wildfire resilience.

Take action this spring during your spring clean-up! The City of Boulder's Community Risk Reduction Team is encouraging every community member to make wildfire resilience a priority this season. Here are some tips and tricks:

These actions aren't just springtime chores, they are critical steps to helping protect your property, your neighborhood, and our entire community during a wildfire. Creating a more resilient Boulder is a shared responsibility. Let's make it a team effort this spring!