Inside Arvada's Community Wildfire Protection Plan

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This September, in honor of National Preparedness Month, we’re doing a two-part series with our partners at Arvada Fire. Part 2 focuses on Arvada's Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) with Arvada Fire's Wildfire Mitigation Specialist, Chris Warren, and the City of Arvada’s Emergency Manager, Brian Wilkerson. In case you missed it, you can go back and listen to Part 1 of the series, Arvada Fire 101, with Fire Marshal Steven Parker.

During Part 2, Arvada's emergency management experts explain how the Marshall Fire changed our understanding of wildfire risks in suburban communities and outline how the CWPP will help prepare residents for emergencies.

In this episode:

• The City's Emergency Manager (Brian Wilkerson) and Arvada Fire's Wildfire Mitigation Specialist (Chris Warren) discuss their roles in preparing Arvada for disaster situations
• Get an overview of the drafted Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) up to this point and what to expect next
• How the CWPP establishes customized strategies for addressing wildfire threats across different neighborhoods
• How grasses and wind — not forests — drive most destructive wildfires in the Front Range, including the Marshall Fire
• How embers in combustible materials near homes cause most structure ignitions during wildfires, not direct flames
• How Arvada's primary wildfire season runs September through April, not during summer months
• How individual responsibility is critical for emergency preparedness — start by signing up for Lookout Alert, having evacuation plans ready, and preparing go-bags with essentials
• Arvada Fire offers free home ignition zone assessments to help homeowners identify and address vulnerabilities

News and Events:

• Arvada Fire Safety Day is Saturday, Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Movies Around Town featuring "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" is Friday, Oct. 3 at Michael Northey Park
• Join the City's volunteer-run Snow Buddies Program to help neighbors in need this winter!

Visit us at arvadaco.gov/podcast or email us at [email protected].