Protect Your Home From Wildfire: JeffCo Slash Collection

GOLDEN, CO – It's what every mountain dweller fears: A wildfire, out of control, burning everything in its path. With beetle-killed lodgepole pines and dry weather, the state is a tinderbox. Without rain, mountain properties, or Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas are more at risk. Fire protection agencies define WUIs as areas where man-made improvements – such as homes – are built close to, or within, natural terrain and flammable vegetation and risk destruction in wildland fires.

Luckily, there are things you can do to "slash" the risk that your property will go up in smoke, and Jefferson County wants to help.

What is Slash?

Slash is not just the guitar player for Guns and Roses. It's also the firefighting term for natural debris – tree limbs, pine needles, prunings – that can feed a wildfire near your home. Clearing out that flammable plant waste will help keep fuel away from a wildfire.

Jefferson County will be collecting slash in Golden on Saturday and Sunday, July 28-29 at the Golden Gate Canyon Grange between 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at 25201 Golden Gate Canyon Road Golden, CO 80403.

Materials Accepted:

• Slash - limbs, branches and tree debris Maximum length - 8 feet Maximum diameter - 6 inches
• Pine needles, tree bark and pine cones, bagged or unbagged
• In addition, leaves accepted at the Thunder Valley Park location only

Materials Not Accepted:

• Construction material and lumber
• Household trash
• Metal material of any kind
• Rocks
• Tree stumps
• Yard waste / grass clippings

Dump fees of $20 per load are collected, to finance the slash collection. "The fees that are charged help to offset the cost for the processing equipment, staffing and keeping the program sustainable so it can continue into future years," the county says.

How can you make your home less vulnerable to wildfire?

First, you can calculate your risk on the Colorado Wildfire Risk Portal (requires Adobe Flash).

Here are some tips from the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Steps to take BEFORE a fire:

• Build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.
• Know more than one exit route in case you have to evacuate.
• Plant fire-resistant shrubs and trees.
• Remove leaves and other debris from the roof and gutters.
• Inspect chimneys at least twice a year and clean them at least once a year.
• Use 1/8-inch mesh screen beneath porches, decks, floor areas, and the home itself to help keep embers out.
• Install a dual-sensor smoke alarm on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms. Be sure to test the alarms monthly and change the batteries at least once each year.
• Teach each family member how to use a fire extinguisher and show them where it's located.
• Keep a ladder that will reach the roof.
• Consider installing protective shutters or heavy fire-resistant drapes.
• Clear items that will burn from around the house, including wood piles, wooden lawn furniture, barbecue grills, tarp coverings, etc. Move them outside of your defensible space.

Image via Jefferson County

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