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Meeting Notes

SWAG MEETING NOTES: 9-17-24
On Wednesday, September 18th the SWAG (Storm Wildfire Action Group) team had their monthly meeting. 

SWAG Members; Dave Hoffman, Liz Mrofka, Deb Green, Doug Kurschner, Michael Knight

LFRA: Chief Smith and numerous LFRA staff – thanks for hosting

Several community members – welcome!!

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1) Larimer County 2024 Community Mitigation Grant/Chipping Program Updates:  

Chipping of piles began September 13 and 14. Almost half the piles have been chipped, all in the upper filings. Community members have expressed appreciation for the efficiency and quality of the work. Brad Tallman indicated that due to wind, dust, etc. they will be deep cleaning the chipper before beginning on the rest of the piles. He will notify Deb Green when they can schedule the next dates and she will notify the community.  He hopes to be able to complete the work in September.

 

2) Curtain Burner Update:                                                  

The Curtain Burner, purchased with assistance from the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition (BTWC), is ready to use. This equipment provides another way to dispose of slash. Trees, branches, up to 6” – 8” diameter can be burned. Charred wood can also be burned. On a good burn the slash is reduced to biochar, which can be used to fertilize the ground.

 

The burner does need to be set on level ground and have adequate clearance around it for safety reasons as it burns very hot. This Program will be free to residents if the burner is set up within the LFRA service area. If it is set up outside the service area both LFRA and BTWC are aware of potential grants they can apply for to cover the costs.

 

LFRA sent the final documents listing the (1) Air Curtain Burner Community Burn Day Agreement & Right of Entry and (2) Air Curtain Burner Application & Operation Plan. SWAG is working through these items with the landowner that has volunteered to host the first burn.  Once everyone involved is sure they understand the requirements and agreement and everything is signed, we will work to schedule a day with LFRA and notify our community of the date and details. Our hope is to host more than one event if the first one goes well.

 

3) A new sign near the “T” is being planned to add another method of communication with the community. 

SWAG and the Larimer County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) have located a site near the “T” that has room for vehicles to pull off on the road right of way.  We will still need to get a permit from Larimer County Roads and Bridges, check with the landowner, and work through all the details but there is a path forward!

 

4) Dave Hoffman sat in on a webinar with LERC (Larimer Emergency Response Coordination) where they mentioned a CSU land restoration program.  This is the link to the CSU Tree Nursery website:  https://csfs.colostate.edu/seedling-tree-nursery/ .  There are two programs. One is a bulk purchase of trees which was used widely after the flood in 2013.  You need to apply and pick up trees by 9/25.  The other is a grant program with an application of 9/30 which I think is what was mentioned in the webinar.  Short turnaround for this year, we can keep in mind for next.

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SWAG MEETING NOTES: 8-21-24

 

Attendees: SWAG Members; Dave & Gail Hoffman, Liz Mrofka, Deb Green, Ed Ostransky, Lois and Doug Kurschner, Mike Borkowski

LFRA: Chief Sendelbach, Chief Smith and numerous LFRA staff – thanks for hosting.

Numerous community members – welcome!!

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1) Larimer County 2024 Community Mitigation Grant/Chipping Program: Updates done with the help of SWAG members.

  • Six people have been added to the chipping spreadsheet.

  • Four people have been removed from the list due to the Alexander Mountain Fire. There are still a couple of people left to check.

  • Pile counts have been updated, generally increased

  • The chipping will start in the upper filings and will start no sooner than 9/9/24.  Deb will see if Brad has a preference on where to start in the upper filings.

  •  If anyone else is interested please check the requirements at https://stormwildfireactio.wixsite.com/swag and send an email with Name, address, contact information (email, phone) and number of piles to Deb Green: deb@joyfulhaven.com. Please do not apply on-line.

 

2) Curtain Burner Update and other LFRA items:          

Lieutenant Matt DeDecker will be stepping into the role of Wildfire Program Coordinator. Tyler Nethe is returning to a different position with Larimer County. LFRA hopes to continue the program next year with interns assisting during the busy season; written support (email, letter, etc) for this program is appreciated.

 

The Curtain Burner, purchased with assistance from the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition (BTWC), is ready to use.  This equipment provides another way to dispose of slash.  Trees, branches, etc up to 6” diameter can easily be burned.  Ashy or charred wood can also be burned (important to note because it cannot be chipped).  The equipment can handle larger logs as well but the burn is less efficient. On a good burn the slash is reduced to biochar, which can be used to fertilize the ground. The volume of slash on a good burn is reduced by 97% to the biochar.

 

The burner does need to set on level ground and have adequate clearance around it for safety reasons as it burns very hot. SWAG is working to secure a location to be able to use this burner as an additional tool to assist landowners.  This Program would be free to residents within the LFRA service area, but if it is needed outside the service area both LFRA and BTWC are aware of potential grants they can apply for to cover the costs.

 

3) Property Assessments for wildfire mitigation:

Free property assessments are available to landowners from several sources to evaluate how well they are prepared for wildfires and how to better mitigate their land and homes to reduce damage from wildfires. SWAG provided a number of free brochures and pamphlets at the meeting.  There are also three sources to sign up for a free property assessment. Some insurance companies will accept a signed assessment and certification that the landowner has completed the list of work as proof they have done what they can to mitigate for wildfire risks.

 

LFRA: https://lfra.org/faq-items/how-do-i-schedule-a-wildfire-home-assessment/   This assessment is free for any landowner within the LFRA service area.  As noted on this map https://lfra.org/wp-content/uploads/LFRA-District-Map-Layout-10052023.png the upper filings are not within the Service area although LFRA does respond to emergencies in those filings.

 

Larimer County Wildfire Partner Program:  https://www.larimer.gov/wpp.  This program has been created under the Sherrif’s office and offers free Wildfire Home Ignition Zone Assessments to Larimer County residents who are outside the boundaries of local fire departments such as LFRA.  Raina Eshleman heads the program which offers other kinds of services.

 

Big Thompson Canyon Watershed Coalition:  The link leads to a survey for landowners living in forested areas of the watershed who are looking for potential assistance with fuel treatments or restoration projects. At this time, the survey is just for landowners looking for pre-fire work, not post-fire recovery work. The survey is meant to be comprehensive for landowners looking for different kinds of forest management, so it could include those looking for Home Ignition Zone assessments/treatments outside of LFRA's service area but also larger acreage landowners who are interested in forest restoration projects. https://forms.gle/avf6ezeTWf1eJWjk7   The assessment would be free, other items may have some cost.

 

4) A new sign near the “T” is being planned to add another method of communication with the community. 

Liz spoke to Josh Roberts about getting permission put the sign at several locations near the “T” and what the county requirements are.  There are safety requirements if the sign is on the road easement.  If it was by the Firehouse there are fewer requirements, but it is less visible. This is an on-going project.  It is also related to the creation of a Larimer County communication HUB on Storm Mountain to use in communicating information during emergencies. 

 

There was also a question about getting a Smokey the Bear sign to show current fire danger near the Fire Station similar to the one in the Canyon. Chief Sendelbach indicated support for the idea and said they would see what is involved.

 

5) The search for an Alternative Emergency Evacuation route is back on the agenda, but this is a long-term project.  Updates will be shared when available.

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SWAG MEETING NOTES: 7-17-24
On Wednesday, July 17th the SWAG (Storm Wildfire Action Group) team had their monthly meeting. 

Attendees:  Dave & Gail Hoffman, Liz Mrofka, Deb Green, Ed Ostransky, Karen Yuskaitis and Bert, LFRA Staff

 

Thanks to community members that attended for the first time and to LFRA for hosting us!

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1) Larimer County 2024 Community Mitigation Grant Notes

  • The list of participants for chipping on the spreadsheet is as complete as possible and we are working on assigning SWAG members to contact and work with groups of the participants to make sure their slash piles are located and created in a manner to make it efficient for Brad to chip them. Amanda, Gail and Dave, Ed and Liz have confirmed so far that they will each take a group of participants and Deb is working to finalize another person.

  • -Deb contacted John Roberts in early July to talk about the grant money. It appears we will not use all of it for the chipping that is co firmed so far. Josh strongly discouraged trying to use funds to hire other contractors to cut and haul slash on private properties this year due to the short time frame. He did say it could be a good possibility if we applied again next year. He did suggest using some of the funds to deal with slash on community property, for example road ROW. We will check on that possibility.

  • Talk to Brad Tallman to make sure piles on driveways with plenty of room to turn around are acceptable:  some residents do not have road frontage (Deb)

  • Follow up with Will Davis on NOCO Sawyers possibility to cut down trees.  Check Larimer County Firewood Bank project to see if there are any possible avenues of assistance.

  • Karen and Bert had a number of questions specific to the slash pile locations and chipping on their property.  We will have a SWAG Team member contact them to provide assistance in a week to 10 days.

 

2) SWAG members have started a conversation on an Alternate Evacuation Route with LFRA (a number of participants), Larimer County OEM (Josh Roberts) and Larimer County Wildfire Partner Program (Sherriff’s Office; Derek Rosenquist and Raina Eshleman). Liz will be going on a ride-along to look at a possible route that uses almost Forest Service land, Foggy Park Road/FS 153, with Josh and others on 7/31.

 

3) A new sign at the “T” is being planned to add another method of communication with the community.  The property owner behind the street sign has stated they do not want the sign on their land. Liz spoke to Josh Roberts about getting permission to put the sign on the road easement (there are county requirements he could help with). Liz, Dave and Gail looked at alternate locations after the meeting if the country won't let us erect it there.

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4) Liz shared some information from her insurance agent about actions that can assist in not getting property insurance cancelled in fire prone areas.  The information is very similar to that covered by LFRA or Raina Eshleman in the property evaluations for wildfire and in the Firewise insurance brochures (SWAG has copies available). Some insurance companies are using drones to check compliance with their regulations. The State of Colorado does have a Fire Mitigation Tax credit that can help pay for work and is also considering creating a state property insurance plan as provider of last resort. Click here to download the pdf her insurance agent gave her. The guidelines mention having reflective address signs, go here to order one from LFRA. https://lfra.org/wp-content/uploads/Standard-Flyer-082922.1.pdf

 

5) Liz and Deb also spoke with Camille Millard about inclusion in the Larimer County Community HUB program on Storm Mountain. The hubs function as a known convergence spot for people to go to when a disaster strikes if they need information. The HUB program is a grassroots community-led program. We have to apply and meet specific requirements. Here is a pdf outlining the program. One of things that is required is a convergence spot for people to go to when a disaster strikes if they need information. The "T" has become that location for the last two disasters. The community sign we want to erect will include a spot for emergency notifications. Larimer County contacts us with the information to be posted so anyone that loses power or the means to communicate can go here to keep updated.

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SWAG MEETING NOTES: 6-19-24
On Wednesday, June 19th the SWAG (Storm Wildfire Action Group) team had their monthly meeting. 

Attendees: Dave Hoffman, Michael Knight, Liz Mrofka, Deb Green, Elie and Josh Hahn (LFRA Volunteer), LFRA Staff Joe and Ron, Kristi Klee, Ed Ostransky, Gregory Grimm, Craig Willard

 

Thanks to community members that attended for the first time!

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1) Larimer County 2024 Community Mitigation Grant Notes

  • Encourage more residents to sign up: the application form and website at https://stormwildfireactio.wixsite.com/swag are available and a spreadsheet listing current verified participants is attached separately.  We can also be contacted at stormwildfireactiongroup@gmail.com (Liz for web, Deb for other)

  • Deb needs to confirm with John Roberts around the end of June whether or not we can use all the grant for chipping or if we may want to amend the grant to use some funds for other wildfire mitigation actions.  We need to finalize numbers (as much as possible) on the chipping participants by then.

  • Talk to Brad Tallman to make sure piles on driveways with plenty of room to turn around are acceptable:  some residents do not have road frontage (Deb)

  • Deb, Liz and Michael may have a few additional residents to verify potential participation.

  • Follow up with Will Davis on NOCO Sawyers possibility to cut down trees.  Check Larimer County Firewood Bank project to see if there are any possible avenues of assistance.

  • Try and verify if the PID can have piles ready (Kristi Klee may be able to help on the road near her).  The PID is willing but has no contract for tree work at this time.

  • Once resident participation is finalized PID members will need to sign up to work with community members to make sure piles are created and located correctly.

 

2) SWAG members have started a conversation on an Alternate Evacuation Route with LFRA (a number of participants), Larimer County OEM (Josh Roberts) and Larimer County Wildfire Partner Program (Sherriff’s Office; Derek Rosenquist and Raina Eshleman). The discussion is in the very early stages, but verifying the current condition of the road used in the past through the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area and contacting PVREA to see if their transmission line maintenance needs could overlap with this project are being considered.

Ed Ostransky asked is the Storm Mountain PID could be approached for funding and there was some discussion on whether the PID covered the back 40’s where the road goes; Deb Green checked and confirmed that all the private properties behind the gate on Bobcat are indeed part of the PID – thanks for asking Ed!  We will probably look at grants first, but will keep this in mind. 

 

3) Other possible future home mitigation options: 

The curtain burner from LFRA/BTWC will likely be available sometime this fall.  LFRA and the State of Colorado are working through various issues involving liability, insurance and other operational considerations.  Michael Knight checked with Don Ellis and he is willing to host the curtain burner on his property by the “T”.  We will need to work through details once LFRA has confirmed a time frame.

 

4) A new sign at the “T” is being planned to add another method of communication with the community.  Dave Hoffman is still working through the logistics, trying to contact the property owner. 

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SWAG MEETING NOTES: 5-15-24
On Wednesday, May 15th the SWAG (Storm Wildfire Action Group) team had their monthly meeting. 

1) Larimer County 2024 Community Mitigation Grant Notes

 

  • The Loveland Reporter Herald has requested an interview with the SWAG Grant representative (Deb Green) on how the grant will assist with wildfire mitigation; they will call to schedule it.

  • We have scheduled a June 8 open house to educate the community on the grant and encourage participation (see below for more details)

  • We have $9500 for wildfire mitigation:  much of that will go towards slash pile chipping late summer/fall, but we will use a small amount for community educational materials and may be able to use a small amount for other types of mitigation.

  • After June 8 there will be more work needed to contact participants organize the event: map properties, check pile numbers and structures, etc.

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2) Notes on June 8 open house concerning grant participation

 

Still to do before the meeting:

  • Finish updating and printing flyers (Liz and Will)

  • Establish method(s) to sign up for chipping: update the application form and website at https://stormwildfireactio.wixsite.com/swag ; have signup available at June 8 meeting: communicate via Storm Mountain email and Facebook groups that we can also be contacted at stormwildfireactiongroup@gmail.com (Liz for web, Deb for other)

  • Finish inviting participants (Deb), done

  • Order any additional handouts (Firewise items, Deb) done

  • Check January Windell (LFRA) on source of bags to put together SWAG information (handouts) (Liz) done

  • Talk to Brad Tallman on better pile chipping per day estimate (Deb)

  • Advertise Meeting!

 

3) Other possible future home mitigation options: 

                   

The curtain burner from LFRA/BTWC will likely be available sometime this fall.  LFRA and the State of Colorado are working through various issues involving liability, insurance and other operational considerations.  There will be a trial run in Waltonia in late June. We need to think about locations on Storm Mountain where the burner could be safely set up.

  • Michael Knight will check with Don Ellis

  • Dave and Gail Hoffman may have a location

  • Will Davis may be able to supple pictures or a video of the burner in action.

SWAG is working with LFRA to see if we can get free or discounted prices for Storm Mountain residents to take slash to the Loveland Recycle Center.  This alternative would allow residents to dispose of slash at any time rather than just set dates on the mountain.

 

4) Free property assessments are available to help homeowners learn how to protect their homes from disasters.

For landowners in the official LFRA service area (generally lower filings) LFRA provides this service: check https://lfra.org/faq-items/how-do-i-schedule-a-wildfire-home-assessment/ . For residents. not in the official service area Raina Eshleman, Wildfire Partner Program Coordinator for Larimer County, provides a very similar service.  Contact her at 970-498-5388 or eshlemrf@co.larimer.co.us.  FYI LFRA does respond to emergency calls in the entire Storm Mountain area, not just the official service area.

 

5) A new sign at the “T” is being planned to add another method of communication with the community. 

Dave Hoffman is working through the logistics. 

 

6) Community members were invited to attend the meeting and join the SWAG team.  Tom Haight did attend – welcome Tom!

 

7) Gather information and share with the community on how mitigation for wildfires impacts the ability to get or keep homeowners insurance.

 

8) Miscellaneous items:

  • Contact NOCO Sawyers about assisting upper filing property owners to cut trees (Will Davis)

  • Check with PID Board on who is responsible for slash the PID leaves on the road ROW, and whether the PID would be interested in participating in the chipping program.

  • Get and share information about a mitigation presentation at Station 7

  • Check out the Estes Park slash dumpster program:  could something like that work on Storm Mtn or in Drake?

 
SWAG MEETING NOTES: 4-17-24
On Wednesday, April 17th the SWAG (Storm Wildfire Action Group) team had their monthly meeting. 

1) LFRA Wildfire Coordinator:

Bryan Clark introduced LFRA’s new Wildfire Coordinator Tyler Nethe. Tyler will be working out of Station 8 near Drake.  In the coming weeks, Tyler will be hiring a team of seasonal staff to start working directly on mitigation and fuel reduction projects in high-risk areas west of the city.

 

2) SWAG sign by “T” update:

Dave Hoffman discussed the current status of getting the sign by the T installed.  It is ready to be installed but a couple of steps are needed first. 

  • Dave has been having trouble getting in touch with the landowner next to the sign location. Michael Knight will assist him with that task.

  • A utility locate is needed: Dave has the information to complete that.

  • There was a question on whether a county permit is needed for this sign.  We will be checking on that issue.

 

3) Steps needed to accept and implement Larimer County Mitigation Grant:

These are mostly in order of when they should be done, with names next to the tasks when I could. 

  • Sign and return Acceptance of Grant Award and Grant Agreement: 4/22, Deb Green; done.

  • Sign and return W-9 by $/22, Will Davis; done.

  • Check with Josh Roberts on what OEM expects from the required kick-off meeting (done, see content of question and reply at the end of the minutes), and reserve space and date for meeting; June 8, 10-12, Station 9 is reserved.

  • Update flyers, organize meeting, invite participated as needed and invite the community: TBD

  • Send flyers to SWAG to comment on any changes needed before distributing; send comments to Liz Mrofka; Liz sent flyers, needs comments.

  • Talk to Brad Tallman and try to get better estimate of how many piles can be chipped in a day or hour, to estimate how many piles we can do for free: Deb Green

  • Get the name of the group from Will Davis that might volunteer to assist landowners in taking down trees; request send.

  • Confirm participation of those that replied to initial survey, decide how to recruit more participants; TBD

  • Establish SWAG members to check piles to make sure they are organized properly and ready for chipping, TBD

  • Make a map of chipping locations: Deb Green

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SWAG MEETING NOTES: 3-20-24

On Wednesday, March 20th the SWAG (Storm Wildfire Action Group) team had their monthly meeting. (Every 3rd Wednesday of the month at 6:00, everyone is welcome to attend)

 

These are the updates of work we've been doing as well as general information:

 

• GRANT APPLICATION: On Wednesday, March 13th the SWAG team finished its application for the 2024 Community Mitigation Grant, this grant is offered through the Larimer County Office of Emergency Management and provides grant awards of up to $10,000 to help remove obstacles communities confront in making them better prepared to collaborate and become more resilient.

While we requested the full amount to help execute our mobile chipping program again this year, we won't know what we have been awarded—if anything—until May 1st. We feel we have a very good chance of receiving an award of some sort.

 

• AIR CURTAIN BURNER: We are working on coordinating with the LFRA to schedule a time in the fall possibly October to bring the air curtain burner to Storm. We are working on a safe and easy access location where residents can bring their slash to the site to be burned. More information will be provided when we know more. To learn more about the burner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9TMdSt-55g

 

• FIRST RESPONDERS: During our discussion LFRA wanted us to inform our community that Storm now has 5 First Responders! They have medical, wildfire, and structure training. Also discussed was the importance of calling 911 right away for any emergency you are experiencing. It was pointed out that some people will call their neighbors for help and then after a time call 911, this delays how quickly emergency services can get to you. One of our responders can get to you quickly and then be in communication with the emergency services in route updating them on your conditions in real time, so that when they arrive they are more aware of the care you are going to need.

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• LFRA WILDLAND MITIGATION COORDINATOR: LFRA wanted us to know that they are working on hiring a wildland mitigation coordinator.

 

If you are interested in becoming involved in the SWAG group please come to our next meeting April 17th via Zoom from 6:00-7:30. Our first meeting in person at Station 9 will be May 15th. An email will be sent out to the community the Mondays before the Wednesday meeting with a Zoom link, or a reminder about the upcoming meeting.

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HOME HARDENING PRESENTATION NOTES: (FROM 1/20/24)

 

This presentation focused on some of the requirements for new construction in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) area and a number of helpful tips and diagrams to fulfill those requirements. In addition, the information can be viewed on-line. To see live links for the topics listed under resources below, click on:

https://lfra.org/our-services/community-safety-fire-prevention/services-construction-development/wildfire-risk-reduction-requirements  or go to the LFRA home page at https://lfra.org and look under Our Services>Wildfire>LFRA resources>Resources for construction or remodeling.  

 

Resources 

  • Use the Wildfire Risk Map to see where these requirements apply 

  • Wildfire Risk Reduction Summaries

o   Home Construction Hardening

o   Fences

o   Fuels Management

 
Wildland Urban Interface Permit Application and Checklist

If you meet the requirements for location and construction scope of the LFRA Wildland Urban Interface, you’re required to submit for and obtain a construction permit from the applicable building department (Larimer County Building Division in unincorporated Larimer County, City of Loveland Building Division in the City of Loveland).

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The LFRA application and submittal checklist and example permit drawing can be found under the Community Safety Division Permits, Applications and Fees webpage on the Building Permits Tab.

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For additional information contact the Community Safety Division at 970-962-2497

There is also a great deal of information on that same page (https://lfra.org/our-services/wildfire/ ) on wildfire mitigation including links to external sites such as Firewise.

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