BERTHOUD FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN Prepared for: Berthoud Fire Protection District Berthoud, Colorado Submitted By: Anchor Point Boulder, Colorado September 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY OF THIS DOCUMENT...................................................................................................................... 1 THE NATIONAL FIRE PLAN............................................................................................................................... 1 PURPOSE............................................................................................................................................................ 2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................................. 3 OTHER DESIRED OUTCOMES........................................................................................................................... 3 COLLABORATION: COMMUNITY/AGENCY/STAKEHOLDERS ...................................................................... 4 STUDY AREA OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................................. 5 VALUES AT RISK................................................................................................................................................ 9 LIFE SAFETY AND HOMES.....................................................................................................................................................9 COMMERCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE.................................................................................................................................... 10 RECREATION AND LIFESTYLE ............................................................................................................................................. 10 HABITAT EFFECTIVENESS & ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES ................................................................................................. 11 CURRENT RISK SITUATION ................................................................................................................................................ 12 FIRE REGIME CONDITION CLASS........................................................................................................................................ 13 FIRE BEHAVIOR POTENTIAL ............................................................................................................................................... 16 SOLUTIONS AND MITIGATIONS.....................................................................................................................23 ESTABLISHING AND PRIORITIZING FIRE MANAGEMENT UNITS (FMUS) ................................................................................ 23 SAFETY ZONES, ADDRESSING, AND EMERGENCY ACCESS ROUTES FMU.............................................24 SAFETY ZONES ................................................................................................................................................................. 24 EMERGENCY ACCESS ROUTE ............................................................................................................................................. 26 PUBLIC EDUCATION FMU.................................................................................................................................................. 28 LOCAL PREPAREDNESS AND FIREFIGHTING CAPABILITIES FMU .......................................................................................... 29 HOME MITIGATION FMU................................................................................................................................................... 32 MAINTAINING YOUR DEFENSIBLE SPACE............................................................................................................................ 34 PLAINS COMMUNITIES FMU.............................................................................................................................................. 37 FUELS MODIFICATION PROJECTS FMU........................................................................................................39 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................. 39 CURRENT AND PROPOSED FUELS REDUCTION PROJECTS FOR BFPD .................................................................................. 42 CURRENT AND PROPOSED CROSS-BOUNDARY PROJECTS ................................................................................................... 43 WATER SUPPLY FMU......................................................................................................................................44 AREA OF SPECIAL INTEREST.........................................................................................................................47 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................. 47 CARTER LAKE – RECREATION MANAGED BY THE LARIMER COUNTY PARKS AND OPEN LANDS ............................................. 47 BOULDER COUNTY PARKS AND OPEN SPACE – RABBIT MOUNTAIN..................................................................................... 48 LITTLE THOMPSON WATER DISTRICT ................................................................................................................................. 48 PARRISH RANCH .............................................................................................................................................................. 49 GLOSSARY........................................................................................................................................................50 ii TABLE OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. Typical Area.................................................................................................................................... 5 FIGURE 2. Berthoud FPD Community Hazard Rating Map........................................................................ 6 FIGURE 3. Berthoud FPD Slopes.................................................................................................................... 7 FIGURE 4. Berthoud FPD Elevations ............................................................................................................. 8 FIGURE 5. Fire Regime/Condition Class ....................................................................................................13 FIGURE 6. Flame Length, Moderate Weather Conditions .......................................................................17 FIGURE 7. Rate of Spread, Moderate Weather Conditions .....................................................................18 FIGURE 8. Crown Fire Potential, Moderate Weather Conditions............................................................19 FIGURE 9. Flame Length, Extreme Weather Conditions..........................................................................20 FIGURE 10. Rate of Spread, Extreme Conditions .....................................................................................21 FIGURE 11. Crown Fire Potential, Extreme Conditions ............................................................................22 FIGURE 12. Safety Zone Guidelines............................................................................................................24 FIGURE 13........................................................................................................................................................25 FIGURE 14........................................................................................................................................................26 FIGURE 15. Saddle & Ridge Top Development.........................................................................................32 FIGURE 16. Defensible Space Zones ..........................................................................................................33 FIGURE 17. BFPD Hazard Ratings by Community ....................................................................................36 FIGURE 18. Current and Proposed Fuel Reduction Projects...................................................................42 FIGURE 19. Proposed BFPD Water Sources..............................................................................................45 INDEX OF TABLES TABLE 1. CWPP DEVELOPMENT TEAM......................................................................................................... 4 TABLE 2. STUDY AREA COMMUNITIES.......................................................................................................... 6 TABLE 3. CONDITION CLASS DESCRIPTIONS ............................................................................................15 TABLE 5. RECOMMENDED TREATMENT DISTANCES FOR MID-SLOPE ROADS....................................41 iii SUMMARY OF THIS DOCUMENT This document incorporates new and existing information relating to wildfire for citizens, policy makers, and public agencies in the Berthoud Fire Protection District (BFPD), Berthoud, CO. Wildfire hazard data is derived from the community wildfire hazard rating analysis (WHR) and the analysis of fire behavior potential, which are extensive and/or technical in nature. For this reason, detailed