How to become a Firewise community and sign up for emergency notifications in El Paso and Teller Counties

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Ahead of a wildfire town hall being held by the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) News5 wants to share a few ways you can be prepared for wildfires and help prevent them.

"This isn't 'if' a wildfire is going to happen, it's 'when' a wildfire is going to happen," Jessica McIntire the program coordinator for education outreach with CSFD said. "So if, when a fire happens in our community, we want to make sure that everybody is prepared and everybody has all the information they need to make the best decision for themselves and their family."

A program that 55 communities in El Paso County actively take part in is Firewise USA. The program started by the National Fire Protection Association helps guide and track communities when it comes to reducing the risk of wildfires. More than 180 communities take part in Colorado, and it is a program McIntire stands behind as she works with more than 150 HOAs in Colorado Springs.

"Communities that do have a Firewise designation mean that they have to do an annual commitment to wildfire mitigation," McIntire added. They have to do a risk assessment every three years, and action plan that tells them what actions are going to be completing for wildfire mitigation."

HOW TO BECOME A FIREWISE USA SITE:

1. Form a Firewise USA board or committee.
2. Obtain a wildfire risk assessment from the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) or your local fire department and create an action plan.
3. Hold a Firewise USA event once per year.
4. Invest about $30 per dwelling unit annually in risk reduction activities.
5. Apply for recognition using the Firewise USA program management portal. The application can be started at any point in this process.

According to CSFS, Colorado is #3 in the country for Firewise participation.
EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS FOR EL PASO AND TELLER COUNTIES

About 26% of households are signed up for critical emergency notification alerts in El Paso and Teller Counties, according to El Paso-Teller County 911 Authority. When it comes to wildfires and other significant events, the public should be aware of Peak Alerts, a system you have to sign up for.

CLICK HERE to register if you live in El Paso or Teller Counties.

The system is utilized for pre-evacuation and evacuation notices during wildfires.

"Our message to our community is that everybody should be participating," McIntire said of Peak Alerts.

In 2024, an average of 910 people signed up for Peak Alerts each month. El Paso-Teller County 911 Authority shared some examples of notifications:

-Jan. 28 a message was issued to 129 recipients about police activity
-Jan. 26 a message for a missing person was issued to 13,654 recipients
-Jan. 21 a message was issued to 120 recipients about police activity
-Jan. 19 a message was issued to 1,523 recipients about police activity

WILDFIRE TOWN HALL HOSTED BY CSFD

Feb. 6 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. CSFD will host a wildfire town hall at 375 Printers Parkway. The public is invited and it will be streamed on the CSFD Facebook page.

A list of communities in good standing with Firewise USA in El Paso County as of Jan. 28 is below:

One dead following a stabbing at home along East Boulder Street in Colorado Springs

We now know that one person is dead following a stabbing according to the Colorado Springs Police Department. Early into the investigation, police say there was a disturbance between two roommates, one stabbed and allegedly killed the other.

One dead following a stabbing at home along East Boulder Street in Colorado Springs

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