WOODLAND PARK – Wildfires have ravaged Colorado over the last several years and with the summer months right around the corner it’s important that you’re prepared.
A big event is happening on Saturday to help people get ready. A Community Wildfire Preparedness Expo will be held at Fire Station 1 in Woodland Park from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The goal is to let people know about some simple steps they can take to make their homes less susceptible to going up in flames.
Bonnie Sumner said, “We’re doing this because we haven’t done one for a couple of years and the danger hasn’t gone away.”
Sumner has never lost her home in a fire, even so, recent disasters across Colorado have shown her just how destructive they can be.
“As things get warmer, as things get windier, the fire season, what used to be the fire season, gets longer and longer and longer, and it’s very scary.”
Sumner is the Firewise chair for the Majestic Park Homeowners Association in Woodland Park.
This weekend, she’s hoping to reach people in her community and beyond through the expo event.
“What we are trying to do is encourage people to do a little bit at a time with their neighbors and with their community.”
Sumner is talking about wildfire mitigation and ways to keep your home safer if sparks ignite.
“How to deal with your landscape around your house, how to mitigate. We don’t say you have to cut down every tree, not all, that you just have to be smart about what’s too close to your house…you have to be smart about raking up your leaves and your pine needles, and all of that.”
Another recommendation is to be careful about the kind of material you use on your home.
“We all know wood burns so they recommend decks made not out of wood.”
Heeding these warnings and others might just save you and your home from devastation.
While some people might think fire danger isn’t as high this year because of all the snow we’ve had Sumner said all that moisture actually causes growth which is even more fuel for a fire.
