Grand County, Colorado
In fall 2020, the East Troublesome Fire ignited in Grand County in northcentral Colorado. The wind-whipped fire would kill two people and burn 193,812 acres, more than 400 structures, and parts of Rocky Mountain National Park before it was finally halted several weeks later by snow and colder temperatures.
The Grand County Wildfire Council applied for and was accepted into the Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire (CPAW) program in 2021.
The CPAW team interviewed local fire district personnel, elected officials, county staff, and other local leaders to identify wildfire mitigation efforts in Grand County. Through interviews and document review, the CPAW team assessed practices conducted by the local fire districts, federal and state land managers, and Grand County staff for planning, zoning, development review, and code enforcement related to reducing wildfire hazards and risks.
With a commitment to improve wildfire readiness, Grand County completed a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) in 2023 with input from CPAW. Residents of Grand County also passed a ballot measure to allow a pool of public funding to be used for wildfire mitigation.
After analyzing the county’s resources and ordinances, CPAW’s wildfire risk-reduction recommendations to the Grand County Wildfire Council were:
- Adopt a county WUI code.
- Use updated wildfire risk maps to define the WUI.
- Update and align county planning documents to support consistent wildfire hazard and regulatory priorities.
- Involve diverse stakeholder groups in reviewing land use and building permit applications.
- Expand the capacity of the county Wildfire Council with new public funding.
Snapshot
- 2021 CPAW Community
- Population: 15,769
- Growth Rate: 8.2% (2010-2022)
- Fuel Type: Timber-brush