Fuel Breaks

Shaded fuel breaks act as strategic "defensible landscape" to reduce fire speed and severity, and to improve suppression by ground crews and air attack. The purposes of strategic fuel modification are to separate communities or groups of structures from the native vegetation and break up large expanses of flammable fuel into smaller blocks, all with the purpose of reducing fire loss and damage.

A modified shaded fuel break is defined as a defensible location, where fuels have been modified, that can be used by fire suppression resources to suppress oncoming wildfires. Any fuel break by itself will NOT stop a wildfire. It is a location where the fuel has been modified to increase the probability of success for fire suppression activities. Ground resources can use the location for direct attack or setting back fires. Air resources can use the location for fire retardant drops. The public and fire resources can use the location for more efficient ingress and egress. Fuel breaks are placed in strategic locations along a ridge, access road, or other location such as around a subdivision.

The objective of a shaded fuel break is to reduce, modify, and manage fuels within designated areas in order to enhance mitigation efforts in the event of a wildland fire situation. A shaded fuel break does not remove all vegetation in a given area. A shaded fuel break provides more fire protection and improves forest health.  

The most advantageous location and design must be individually determined after considering fuels, topography, weather, exposures and other constructed or planned improvements. Soil stabilization, erosion prevention measures and long-term maintenance requirements must receive thorough consideration during the planning and construction phase.

Credit www.firesafesanmateo.org

The video below is a great example of the benefits of creating a wildfire fuel break. Even though the example is from Utah, this still applies to Colorado’s Front Range.

REMINDER FOR THE HOMEOWNER

The crew serves as the emergency response team responding to emergencies in the Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District, and also to neighboring fire districts. These may include wildland fires, medical emergencies, structure fires, vehicle accidents, and search and rescue operations. So if the crew working on your land disappears rapidly during the day, please be patient, they will return to the job site as soon as possible. We are grateful for your support which allows us to maintain this crew on duty during the work day when most of the BMFPD volunteer responders are at work.