Colorado HOAs partner with Castle Rock Fire: “Creating a balance between beauty and fire”

Following fires elsewhere in the state, the Castle Rock Fire Department is training residents and homeowner associations to be proactive and create defensible space in their own communities.

Castle Rock firefighters worked on the Alexander Mountain, Stone Gorge And Quarry fires in Colorado. And now firefighters from the department are in California fighting fires there.

“This interactive collaboration not only within the state for mutual aid, but also within the Western United States helps us distribute resources to each other. When there is a fire in other states, we provide those resources; when there is a fire in ours, they provide those resources back to us,” said Bart Chambers, Castle Rock Fire Chief.

But Castle Rock is not only supporting other organizations, it is also taking steps to contain the fires in its own community.

One way to do this is by working with goats. Right now, goats can be seen grazing and reducing fuels at the Metzler Family Open Space. The goats, provided by Goat Green LLC, will move to the Woodlands Bowl on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Another option is the FireWise USA program, which describes how to create defensible space in urban areas affected by wildfires. Participating HOAs receive materials and resources to take action to achieve and maintain FireWise status in their community.

“We are in the middle of Castle Rock, but we look like Colorado,” said Mary McDonald, a member of the Escavera HOA and chair of the FireWise committee.

McDonald is drawn to the pines in her neighborhood, but she is also drawn to the fire.

“The scrub oaks and pines also make the whole thing very eerie,” McDonald said.

That’s why she joined her homeowners association’s FireWise committee and works with the Castle Rock Fire Department to protect the community she loves.

With the department’s help, Escavera was accepted into the FireWise program earlier this year.

“This is our application,” said McDonald, pointing to a thick stack of papers.

This rating makes it easier for homeowners to obtain insurance and helped the HOA receive a grant from Douglas County of about $30,000 for fire protection measures.

“Our annual budget as an HOA is about $15,000, so grants like this really help us get the defensible space we need in our open spaces and encourage our residents,” McDonald said.

Castle Rock Fire recommends removing combustible materials within 30 feet of homes, keeping roofs and gutters clear of debris, installing non-combustible finishes near homes, using low-growing plants, mowing lawns to 4 inches, and removing shrubs and trees within 5 feet of buildings.

“The bottom line: Clear a 5-foot radius around your home. Clear any rock or bare mineral soil,” Chambers said.

The HOA follows these instructions to create defensible space on the common property.

“This is our open space, so we’re constantly out there looking at the area to see what needs to be done,” McDonald said. “We’re going ahead and sort of cutting everything down, we’re leaving some of the scrub oaks standing and creating islands.”

The HOA also helps educate neighbors to do the same on their property.

“It’s a lot of emails. We’ve been handing out signs. It’s kind of grassroots work, our committee is talking to neighbors and telling them, ‘Hey, it’s time to look at that scrub oak, it’s really too close to the house,'” McDonald said.

In June, the HOA collected over 100 yards of logging debris that neighbors had removed from their own yards.

Chambers says containment efforts are not a one-time event, but that communities should make these measures a way of life.

“This is a marathon, not a sprint,” Chambers said. “While we’re seeing global climate change, we’re also seeing people moving into the wilderness. So we’re living with fire again in areas that have been burning for decades. Take the time to protect yourself from fire, get the permits and get fire protection.”

After all, it is part of it.

“It’s just a way to create a balance between beauty and clever use of fire,” McDonald said.

If your community is interested in becoming part of the program, sign up at crgov.com/WildfireSafety.