Canon City Area Fire Protection District Fire Fighter Ready, Set, Go Program Coordinator Kevin Evans talks about their wild land fire fighting equipment they carry on their trucks. Evans will be presenting their Ready, Set, Go! programs to community members in upcoming classes in an effort to help home owners prepare their property for a wild fire.
A fire can strike anytime, anywhere. While a wildland fire can be devastating to the environment and nearby structures, there are steps homeowners can take to save lives and property through advance planning.
The Canon City Area Fire Protection District, in partnership with the local Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service offices, is launching a new "Ready, Set, Go!" program designed to help residents successfully prepare for a wildland fire.
"The Ready, Set, Go! program focuses on getting homeowners that are in our wildland urban interface areas more prepared if a fire starts," said firefighter Kevin Evans, program coordinator. "It gives the chance of not losing as many homes, it talks about creating defensible space around the homes and the different zones for that."
The "Ready" part of the program prepares homeowners for fire threats, such as hardening the home with fire-safe construction measures.
"The 'Set' is having situational awareness," Evans said. "Having the awareness to know that there is a fire that has started and doing some things like bringing in the combustible patio furniture form outside into the house and getting your car and personal paperwork ready to go if you get an evacuation order."
"Go" entails leaving and leaving early.
"Not always waiting for an evacuation order because it is safer for the homeowner and it\'s safer for us as responders going up in there," Evans said. "Especially the initial area we are targeting -- there are two ways in and that\'s it."
Fire Chief David DelVecchio said the recent Lower North Fork Fire in Jefferson County is a good impetuous for the kick off of the Ready, Set, Go! program, which is developed in conjunction with the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Fire Protection Association.
"We want to start with the highest hazard areas in our district that are hazards in our area that are most vulnerable and go from there," Evans said.
Participants will watch a short video and receive a Wildland Fire Action guide.
If you are interested in setting up a community meeting to cover this information, call Kevin Evans at 275-8666.