Fire Preparedness Resources
What you can do before a fire:
Get Official Emergency Messages: Sign up (for free) for official emergency messages from Boulder’s Office of Emergency Management (a.k.a. “Everbridge”). Go here to sign up for Everbridge: https://www.boulderoem.com/preparedness/informed/
Note that the OEM Emergency Status Page will list emergency events even before notifications are pushed to the community by Everbridge or the Wireless Emergency System. Curious about that smoke over yonder? Check the OEM Emergency Status Page!
MANAlist: Sign up (for free) to MANAlist, a neighborhood listserv that facilitates communication among members of the community (to include non-official communications related to emergencies). MANAlist should not be relied upon for official notifications of emergencies. Go here to sign up: http://martinacres.org/mailman/listinfo/manalist_martinacres.org
Keep your MANAlist “Welcome” email or one of the monthly subscription confirmation emails (sent on the 1st of every month) and/or bookmark your subscription management page.
Prepare Your Residence: Harden your residence to fire using the fire preparedness resources recommended by the City of Boulder Fire Department (below) and
Have your home individually evaluated for fire readiness: https://bouldercolorado.gov/detailed-wildfire-home-assessment-request
Insure Your Residence and/or Property Well: Ensure that your home and property is properly insured against fire by consulting the resources available from United Policyholders, a nonprofit focused on insurance advocacy and education.
Prepare for Evacuation:
Go List: Make a list of items you’ll want to take with you when evacuating. Ready.gov has planning resources but the goal is to have the essentials you’ll need for 3 days away from home.
Evacuation Routes: Identify at least two ways out of the neighborhood that you might use in the event of an evacuation.
Plan for Needed Evacuation Help: Arrange for any assistance you may need in evacuating. If you need help in making these arrangements, please contact the Disaster Preparedness Team here.
Consider your pets: If they cannot evacuate with you, have a plan for where they can go for safety or shelter. Tips on plan design are here
Join the Disaster Preparedness Team: Our team works to ensure that our community is as prepared as reasonably possible for fire and other emergencies. We can do more with more members on our team, and it’s a great venue to work collaboratively with your neighbors. To join, contact us here..
What you can do during a fire:
Call 911: (unless you have reason to be certain that the fire department is already aware of the fire). Note that the OEM Emergency Status Page will list emergencies of which the City is aware.
Check on Your Neighbors: In the event of an evacuation order and when time allows, check with your immediate neighbors to ensure that they are aware of the order. There are myriad reasons that someone may not have received notice by email or phone, so it’s worth a confirmatory knock at the door.
Turn off MANAlist Digesting: If you have configured your subscription to MANAlist to provide a daily digest, you may want to consider turning that off during an emergency so that messages are delivered instantaneously. To do so, follow the instructions in your MANAlist welcome email or monthly subscription confirmation email (sent on the 1st of every month) to access your subscription page, where you can Set Digest Mode to “Off”.
Final Home Hardening: If time allows, you can take last-minute steps to reduce the risk of fire destroying your residence. This might include such things as:
Removing wood furniture and/or firewood from the perimeter of the home.
Opening wood gates by which fire could be transmitted to the home.
Turning off the gas.
Moving propane canisters away from the home.
Quickly cleaning rain gutters of flammable debris.
Get Help with Evacuation: If you need help with evacuation, and time allows, you may ask if a neighbor is available to help by posting your request to MANAlist.
Evacuate: Do not defy or second-guess evacuation orders. And let none of the preceding activities result in delay that puts you in danger.
Fire Preparedness Resources Recommended by the City of Boulder Fire Department:
Wildland Fire Preparedness Guide: To learn how to make your home less likely to burn in a wildfire, the Wildland Fire Preparedness Guide is a great resource. You can download the PDF here:
https://bouldercolorado.gov/media/3298/download?inline
CSU FireWise Construction: Site Design & Building Materials: This deep dive into firewise building design is likely most useful to those considering new construction but also covers principles of fire transmission and design modifications that may be feasible on existing structures. You can download the PDF here:
https://static.colostate.edu/client-files/csfs/pdfs/firewise-construction2012.pdf
CSU Fire Resistant Landscaping Fact Sheet: A short guide to creating wildfire-defensible zones around a residence. You can download the PDF here:
https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/natres/06303.pdf
CSU FireWise Plant Materials Fact Sheet: A concise guide to plant choices that can reduce the spread of fire. You can download the PDF here:
https://extension.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/6.305-FireWise-Plant-Materials.pdf
The Combustibility of Landscape Mulches
https://firesafemarin.org/wp-content/uploads/Mulch-Study.pdf
Get Official Emergency Messages: Sign up (for free) for official emergency messages from Boulder’s Office of Emergency Management (a.k.a. “Everbridge”). Go here to sign up for Everbridge: https://www.boulderoem.com/preparedness/informed/
Note that the OEM Emergency Status Page will list emergency events even before notifications are pushed to the community by Everbridge or the Wireless Emergency System. Curious about that smoke over yonder? Check the OEM Emergency Status Page!
MANAlist: Sign up (for free) to MANAlist, a neighborhood listserv that facilitates communication among members of the community (to include non-official communications related to emergencies). MANAlist should not be relied upon for official notifications of emergencies. Go here to sign up: http://martinacres.org/mailman/listinfo/manalist_martinacres.org
Keep your MANAlist “Welcome” email or one of the monthly subscription confirmation emails (sent on the 1st of every month) and/or bookmark your subscription management page.
Prepare Your Residence: Harden your residence to fire using the fire preparedness resources recommended by the City of Boulder Fire Department (below) and
Have your home individually evaluated for fire readiness: https://bouldercolorado.gov/detailed-wildfire-home-assessment-request
Insure Your Residence and/or Property Well: Ensure that your home and property is properly insured against fire by consulting the resources available from United Policyholders, a nonprofit focused on insurance advocacy and education.
Prepare for Evacuation:
Go List: Make a list of items you’ll want to take with you when evacuating. Ready.gov has planning resources but the goal is to have the essentials you’ll need for 3 days away from home.
Evacuation Routes: Identify at least two ways out of the neighborhood that you might use in the event of an evacuation.
Plan for Needed Evacuation Help: Arrange for any assistance you may need in evacuating. If you need help in making these arrangements, please contact the Disaster Preparedness Team here.
Consider your pets: If they cannot evacuate with you, have a plan for where they can go for safety or shelter. Tips on plan design are here
Join the Disaster Preparedness Team: Our team works to ensure that our community is as prepared as reasonably possible for fire and other emergencies. We can do more with more members on our team, and it’s a great venue to work collaboratively with your neighbors. To join, contact us here..
What you can do during a fire:
Call 911: (unless you have reason to be certain that the fire department is already aware of the fire). Note that the OEM Emergency Status Page will list emergencies of which the City is aware.
Check on Your Neighbors: In the event of an evacuation order and when time allows, check with your immediate neighbors to ensure that they are aware of the order. There are myriad reasons that someone may not have received notice by email or phone, so it’s worth a confirmatory knock at the door.
Turn off MANAlist Digesting: If you have configured your subscription to MANAlist to provide a daily digest, you may want to consider turning that off during an emergency so that messages are delivered instantaneously. To do so, follow the instructions in your MANAlist welcome email or monthly subscription confirmation email (sent on the 1st of every month) to access your subscription page, where you can Set Digest Mode to “Off”.
Final Home Hardening: If time allows, you can take last-minute steps to reduce the risk of fire destroying your residence. This might include such things as:
Removing wood furniture and/or firewood from the perimeter of the home.
Opening wood gates by which fire could be transmitted to the home.
Turning off the gas.
Moving propane canisters away from the home.
Quickly cleaning rain gutters of flammable debris.
Get Help with Evacuation: If you need help with evacuation, and time allows, you may ask if a neighbor is available to help by posting your request to MANAlist.
Evacuate: Do not defy or second-guess evacuation orders. And let none of the preceding activities result in delay that puts you in danger.
Fire Preparedness Resources Recommended by the City of Boulder Fire Department:
Wildland Fire Preparedness Guide: To learn how to make your home less likely to burn in a wildfire, the Wildland Fire Preparedness Guide is a great resource. You can download the PDF here:
https://bouldercolorado.gov/media/3298/download?inline
CSU FireWise Construction: Site Design & Building Materials: This deep dive into firewise building design is likely most useful to those considering new construction but also covers principles of fire transmission and design modifications that may be feasible on existing structures. You can download the PDF here:
https://static.colostate.edu/client-files/csfs/pdfs/firewise-construction2012.pdf
CSU Fire Resistant Landscaping Fact Sheet: A short guide to creating wildfire-defensible zones around a residence. You can download the PDF here:
https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/natres/06303.pdf
CSU FireWise Plant Materials Fact Sheet: A concise guide to plant choices that can reduce the spread of fire. You can download the PDF here:
https://extension.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/6.305-FireWise-Plant-Materials.pdf
The Combustibility of Landscape Mulches
https://firesafemarin.org/wp-content/uploads/Mulch-Study.pdf
| After reviewing these resources, do you still have questions? Submit your question to the MANA Fire Preparedness Team so that we can help you get answers from the City of Boulder Fire Department. Submit your question by emailing the Team here.. |