Home Ignition Zones (HIZ) Mitigation Assistance Program (MAP)

Red Feather Lakes Area Wildfire Defense Project

Overview of Defensible Space and Home Ignition Zones (HIZ)

Did you know? More than half of Colorado residents live in the wildland-urban interface and are at some risk of being affected by wildfire.

A main outcome of the Red Feather Lakes Area Wildfire Defense Project Reduction of risk to properties through the performance of property assessments and subsequent defensible space treatments, and a robust community understanding of home ignition zone concepts and best practices through training and educational outreach. Improved community resilience through the building of Wildfire Partners Program ambassador teams and community social capital.

The Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) is the home and the area around the home (or structure). The HIZ takes into account both the potential of the structure to ignite and the quality of defensible space surrounding it.

Defensible space is the “area around a home or other structure that has been modified to reduce fire hazards. In this area, natural and manmade fuels are treated, cleared or reduced to slow the spread of wildfire (Colorado State Forest Service).”

By establishing defensible space, you can reduce the likelihood of your home igniting by direct contact with flame or by exposure to the radiant heat of a fire. It also helps limit local production of embers and reduces the chance a structure fire will spread to neighboring homes or surrounding vegetation.

What is HIZ MAP?

The Home Ignition Zone Mitigation Assistance Program (HIZ MAP) is an important component of the Red Feather Lakes Area Wildfire Defense Project. The HIZ MAP is designed to help move home ignition zone work forward on eligible and qualifying private properties by providing assistance through a structured program involving application, prioritization, property-specific work scope development, and contractor coordination and implementation.

HIZ MAP Application Process

The HIZ MAP is intended to complement the Wildfire Partner Program (see below) and other wildfire mitigation efforts in the Project area. It is not only a mechanism for helping fund eligible defensible space work, but it is also intended to advance longer term shared stewardship, strengthen community understanding of wildfire risk and build capacity for sustained wildfire risk reduction over time.

Questions? Contact Kea Klug, HIZ Program Specialist, Larimer County Conservation Corps, at klugkj@co.larimer.co.us

Stay tuned - HIZ MAP is launching June 1!

Geographic Area and Program Eligibility

The HIZ MAP is established for participating communities in the RFL Area Wildfire Defense Project, and as such, is available for qualifying private property within these Project areas, as defined in their respective Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs):

• Cherokee Meadows

• Crystal Lakes

• Glacier View

• Poudre Canyon

To be eligible for assistance through the HIZ MAP, the property/property owner:

• Must be located within one of the four participating Project communities above.

• Be a privately owned developed parcel.

• Have a completed HIZ Assessment.

• Provide a signed Right of Entry.

Eligible properties may include:

• Primary owner-occupied residences.

• Secondary or seasonal residences.

• Renter-occupied residences.

• Other privately owned developed parcels.

Schedule & Complete Home Ignition Zone Assessment (HIZA) with Your Local Fire Department

Request a Home Ignition Zone Assessment (HIZA) - choose your community below:

Glacier View Fire Protection District: Email gvfpd.faca@gmail.com with your name, the address of the property to be assessed, and your preferred times/days of the week. An Ambassador will contact you for scheduling.

The Wildfire Partner Program is coordinated by Derek Rosenquist, and was established in 2023 as a part of the Emergency Services Division of the Larimer County Sheriff's Office. 

The guiding mission of the Wildfire Partner Program is to promote active shared engagement with our citizens to increase wildfire resiliency, both before and after wildfire events. Wildfire Partners cultivates a neighbors-helping-neighbors approach to prepare homes, properties, roadways, homeowners associations, and businesses by reducing risk. We seek to promote wildfire resiliency, and the potential for lives, livelihoods, homes, and properties to resist, survive, and thrive following a wildfire event. 

Larimer County’s Wildfire Partners Program provides tools, training, and support for local fire districts and departments to offer comprehensive Wildfire Home Ignition Zone Assessments to residents free of charge.

Apply to the HIZ MAP

The HIZ MAP is intended to assist moving work forward following the Home Ignition Zone Assessment (HIZA). The HIZ MAP does this through a structured program that involves application, prioritization, property specific work scope development, and meaningful contractor implementation.

Important Info:

• Before applying, please make sure you have a completed Home Ignition Zone Assessment through your local fire protection district

• Applying for the HIZ MAP does not guarantee assistance, funding or work on your property.

• This program supports eligible defensible space and vegetation-management work.

• This program does not pay for home-hardening improvements such as roofing, vents, screens, gutters, or other building-related upgrades.

• If your property is selected, a Program Specialist will work with you to develop and review the final scope of work for your property before any work begins.

Defensible Space and Home Ignition Zones (HIZ) Resources

• The Home Ignition Zone: A guide to preparing your home for wildfire and creating defensible space (Colorado State Forest Service)

• Wildfire Partners Program (Larimer County Sheriff’s Office)

• Wildfire Mitigation Tax Credit Form (State of Colorado)

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