Last monthís column about fire weather advisories and burn restrictions may have seemed untimely, since Mother Nature decided to bring snow and rain to the area right as the paper went to press. It was no big surprise; after all, April is historically one of the snowiest months in Colorado.However, it is important to remember that fire danger never really goes away in El Paso County. Vegetation can dry out quickly in this low humidity environment, and fire weather watches and warnings can follow on the heels of a good bout of precipitation.Falcon firefighters closely monitor changing conditions and ask residents to do the same. A study by researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulderís Earth Lab found that 84 percent of wildfires in the past 21 years were caused by humans. Please do not be one of them.National Wildfire Preparedness DayOn May 6, individuals and communities around the country will take part in National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. Destructive wildfires can strike in forested areas or prairie grasslands, but they can also impact urbanized communities ó the reason everyone should make time to prepare for wildfires.While a major focus of wildfire preparedness is mitigation, there are many other things residents can do to prepare for wildfires or other emergencies. For example, develop or update a family evacuation plan that includes pets and livestock, or get together with neighbors to create a communication plan in the event of a fire or disaster in the neighborhood.Regardless of a homeís location, there are many simple tasks that can reduce fire risk and also be beneficial to spring cleaning and gardening chore lists.
- Rake and remove dry leaves and pine needles within 3 to 5 feet of a homeís foundation. Continue removing dead vegetation for 30 feet around the home.
- Move wood piles at least 30 feet away from structures.
- Clear leaves, pine needles and other debris from gutters, eaves, porches and decks; and from beneath decks, porches, sheds and play structures. Properly dispose of all debris.
- Mow grasses to a height of 4 inches or less.
- On mature trees, use hand pruners and loppers to remove low-hanging tree branches up to a height of 4 feet from the ground (specific height depends on the type and size of a tree).
- Take downed tree limbs and pruned or broken branches to a disposal site such as the Black Forest Slash Mulch site (http://bfslash.org).
- Never keep gasoline cans and portable propane tanks indoors. Store them away from the home.
- The location was chosen to serve the districtís third busiest response zone.
- It is called Station 4 because it is in response zone No. 4.
- The single-story, 8,362-square-foot building has living quarters to accommodate eight personnel. It also has three apparatus bays, a workout room and a meeting room.
- The district purchased the land outright and financed a $1,770,000 lease-purchase agreement to construct the facility.
