Firewise Information for 2019
DISCOVERY WILDFIRE MITIGATION CHIPPING SCHEDULE
The first week of Firewise chipping is now in the books and Discovery is a lot better for it! However, if you were out of town, forgot to schedule an orientation session, or just plain forgot about our June chipping week, you will have one more chance to get rid of your tree and shrub debris courtesy of the Colorado Springs Fire Department (August 26-30).
While a number of households have done an admirable job of trying to reduce the chance of losing their homes to wildfire, there are still a lot of trees
and shrubs to be trimmed and thinned or eliminated -- as well as dead trees and bushes to be removed -- before we
are as safe as possible from wildfire. The number of dead pine and aspen trees in Discovery seems to be increasing, and many of them hang over rooflines. Also, many of our neighborhood Junipers are now well over 30 years old -- green on the outside and full of dead branches and air on the inside. The CSFD commonly refers to these plants as "match sticks" and "blow torches!"
If you have such junipers in close proximity to your home, please consider removing them! They are not only a fire hazard, but also often serve as homes for rats and other less desirable wildlife neighbors.
Please keep in mind the following Chipping Program criteria:
- Homeowners must register to participate (use phone number or link below)
- Residents must have had an onsite consultation OR attended a neighborhood chipping orientation meeting in the past 5 years
- Material must be curbside by 8 AM Monday morning and will be picked up by the end of the week
- The CSFD will not drive up and down every street looking for stray piles
- Debris piles must be stacked appropriately; incorrectly stacked piles will not be picked up (please
see the attached flier for pile stacking guidelines).
If you haven't already done so, please take a couple of minutes to familiarize yourself with the basic tenets of Defensible Space and the “Home Ignition Zone.”
The Colorado Springs Fire Department attributes the success of the Wildfire Mitigation Program to the work that we all do to spread the word and support their efforts. Some of our residents may not have discovered our website yet; some are renters who may not receive our newsletters; others may choose not to read them. Whatever the reason, we received comments in the past that some of our residents would have participated had they only known! If you see dead or dying trees or shrubs, whether on your property or a neighbor's, don't put off reducing the fire hazard and don't be bashful about sharing this opportunity with others. Please ensure your neighbors are aware of this great opportunity to make their properties -- and all of Discovery -- more fire safe. Thank you!
To sign up for chipping, residents may contact the Wildfire Mitigation Program Coordinator, Ashley Whitworth, directly at (719) 385-7342, or you may sign up online at the CSFD Neighborhood Chipping website (select the "Submit a Request for Chipping" button in the middle of the page).
Direct your Firewise questions or concerns to:
Ashley Whitworth
Wildfire mitigation Program Coordinator
Colorado Springs Fire Department
Office: (719) 385-7342
Fax: (719) 385-7344