Prepare for Wildfire

Wildfire is a fact of life in Black Forest, just as hurricanes are inevitable on the Gulf Coast. 

You can reduce the risk that wildfire will damage or destroy your home. You can keep your family safe if a wildfire approaches. But you must start preparing now. The links below will tell you how to get started.

Links to more information

• Visit the U.S. Fire Administration's wildfire information page
• Download the brochure "Wildfire... Are You Prepared?"
• Visit the Firewise web site for a wealth of wildfire information and preparation tips
• Visit the web site of the Pikes Peak Wildfire Prevention Partners
• Observed Fire Danger
• Fire Weather Forecast: detailed text description
  (Black Forest is in Zone 226)

What’s a Red Flag warning?

Weather forecasters will issue a Red Flag warning when weather conditions are ripe for wildfire.

Wildfire thrives on warm temperatures, dry air, dry fuels, and strong wind. A Red Flag warning means that these conditions have combined in a way that helps fires start easily and grow fast and large. A Red Flag warning may happen at any time of year.

If a wildfire starts on a Red Flag day, it can quickly blow up into a major disaster, such as the Hayman Fire of 2002. But a wildfire can also spread quickly in conditions that aren’t quite bad enough to earn a Red Flag.

So please don’t wait for a Red Flag warning to start being careful with fire. Smart Black Foresters treat every day as a Red Flag day.