No part of Boulder County is safe from wildfire. Our dry and windy climate creates dozens of red flag days every year. Residents have made it clear through multiple surveys that wildfire is a top concern and we've opened our wallets to contribute to mitigation and preparedness programs through the recently-passed Ballot Measure 1A. Our county commissioners will open an online survey soon and will hold an open house on Nov. 29th for comment from the community, so now is the time to make our voices heard.

Please consider signing this petition to encourage the county to develop a comprehensive plan that engages every public safety entity and every resident. Current ballot language includes a series of meaningful projects such as home hardening and vegetation management that are key mitigation steps. After reading the Marshall Fire report however, we need more than a series of projects. We need a strategic starting point. Let's encourage the county to go where other post-fire communities have gone and do the following:

1) Start from the top: appoint a visible point person for this undertaking, establish a master wildfire plan with a hierarchy of projects.

2) Collaboration: bring all public safety entities to the table. Establish a county-wide working group with built-in accountability.

3) Funding: allocate spending fairly and prudently across the county. Pursue existing, generous grant opportunities before they're gone.

4) Transparency: increase communication on funding, decisions, actions, and public education & information. Establish an advisory committee for the wildfire program.

5) Ask the tough questions: are we set up correctly for the best response?, how many fire districts are best?, how best to tackle our pervasive dry vegetation?.

Let's let the county know that we're all in on wildfire mitigation and preparedness. We scored big on votes and dollars for this effort, now let's encourage Boulder County to enlist its experts and draw from the best practices underway in many western states to roll out a solid, top-down mitigation and preparedness plan for our at-risk county.

Have questions or need more information? Email: Cheryl Gordon.

Please note that this free site asks for an optional donation after you sign. Proceeds go to iPetitions, not to wildfire efforts.