MONUMENT, Colo. (KOAA) — Neighbors in Monument are taking wildfire mitigation into their own hands.
On Saturday, more than two dozen people from the Arrowwood 1 and Arrowwood 2 neighborhoods cut down trees and created slash piles along Sierra Way.
More than 30 Greater Monument communities make up the Monument Fire Department's Community Ambassador Program. Steve Statham serves as a community ambassador for both Arrowwood 1 and 2.
"We're doing right-of-way mitigation, we've been doing it throughout the neighborhood," Statham said. "We're focusing mainly on our two main arteries that come into the neighborhood, so that both the fire department can get in if there's a fire and we can get out."
Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction Jonathan Bradley says this marks year nine of Monument Fire's community ambassador program. He calls the work neighbors have done so far "astounding."
"We recruit and support neighbors in individual communities with projects in their neighborhoods," Bradley said. "We provide expertise on what communities should do, especially with vegetation reduction, how to prioritize those projects, and then we help them with community risk assessments. So, if they want to become a Firewise community, they have a formal document for their application for that process."
Bradley adds that the work neighbors are doing is not a clear cut of the forest, but creates a healthier and safer environment.
"Reducing vegetation, returning the forest to a healthier environment will help the forest resist things like beetle infestation and it will reduce the intensity of a wildfire if it occurs," Bradley said.
Lisa Fitzpatrick is another Arrowwood 1 and 2 community ambassador. She says she feels safer in her neighborhood, thanks to the work that has been done so far.
"We do want the fire department to come in," Fitzpatrick said. "If we have a situation, we don't want them up in the top of the neighborhood going that's a fire tunnel, we won't go in."
In addition to a dry winter, Statham says previous wildfires like Black Forest and Waldo Canyon are motivating many neighbors to be proactive.
"If we don't do something community-wide, it really isn't going to solve the problem," Statham said. "We want to get the word out to the rest of the region that everybody can do this. Even if we do our part here, it's good for us, but if surrounding areas don't do it, everybody is affected."
Both Statham and Fitzpatrick are part of Fire Adapted Colorado's (FACO) Neighborhood Ambassador Program. Over a six-week period, through virtual meetings, the program provides the training and structure for local leaders to become self-sufficient in organizing their own mitigation and preparedness activities. The program trains residents in the following aspects:
- Organizing a neighborhood wildfire committee
- Methods and human considerations in communicating with residents
- Home Ignition Zone concepts to understand fire behavior
- Household and Community Planning to determine areas of work prioritization
- Connecting with Fire and Forestry Professionals to access their expertise and resources
- Planning Work Days to organize their own mitigation projects
Monument Fire encourages neighbors whose communities are involved in its ambassador program to contact their HOAs and respective ambassador if they want to get involved. For communities that do not have a formal program, Bradley encourages them to look into Firewise and Ready, Set, Go.
Monument Fire's chipping services will also play a big part in wildfire mitigation throughout the summer. Chipping breaks down slash, disperses it on the ground, and reduces vertical fire risk.
"The Monument Fire chipping program started nine years ago," Bradley said. "One day a week, over the course of the summer months, fire department crews would go out with the community and chip slash that they had cut throughout the summer. It has become so popular that we had to change that program this year."
Monument Fire is hiring a seven-person seasonal mitigation crew. Their work will begin in June and continue into September.
"That will run four days a week beginning in June," Bradley said. "Even though our season's going to be shorter, we're going to overall have more days and we'll be able to remove more dangerous vegetation."
Email Senior Reporter Meghan Glova at meghan.glova@koaa.com.
Follow Meghan Glova KOAA on Facebook.
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