During the March 4 candidates’ forum, a small wildfire was burning about 5 miles away on Heil Ranch. Despite that, IMO, too little attention was focused on fire risk migration.
Fire danger was acknowledged as a serious risk in Lyons and there was general agreement it’s high priority. But exactly WHAT should we do to reduce risk?
I’ll explore that here, in more depth than a 1.5-minute candidates’ forum answer.
History: Why No Lyons WUI Code?
In March 2022, a Lyons Wildfire Task Force recommended adopting a local WUI (“Wildland Urban Interface”) Code.
Four years later, the Board of Trustees finally adopted, under a State mandate, a local WUI Code that is prospective only. With a few exceptions (like new fences and home additions >500 square feet), it will only apply to new homes started after June 30, 2026. In built-out Lyons, there are only about 8 vacant lots for new homes.
We shouldn’t pretend a prospective-only WUI Code will significantly reduce wildfire risk. It won’t.
Why hasn’t Lyons done something impactful in the 4 years since our task force recommended it?
Two reasons, IMO: inertia and fear.
Inertia in the sense that it was easy and convenient to say “let’s wait for the state code to be drafted”. So we waited, even though we knew the state code would be prospective-only, with little real impact in Lyons. We could also wait for the local Community Wildfire Protection Plan (just now being completed) to be updated. So we waited.
Fear of blowback (resistance to retroactive measures for existing homes) is another reason. The State legislature was so fearful of citizen blowback that it denied the Wildfire Code Board any authority to “go retroactive”. Across the state, municipalities have balked at going retroactive. Boulder has been studying retroactive measures for some time, but hasn’t pulled the trigger.
All that is reminiscent of what local governments in the Lahaina, HI area did in the years prior to fire wiping out much of the town. Afterwards, angry citizens asked, “Why didn’t you do something?” Google AI summarizes:
“Evidence indicates that local government, state agencies, and officials in Maui delayed or failed to implement critical fire risk mitigation measures for years leading up to the devastating 2023 Lahaina wildfire. Despite identifying West Maui as having one of the highest wildfire risks on the island … proactive policies were slow to be adopted.”
We’ve done the same in Lyons. We haven’t done enough soon enough. We mitigated some Town property and will do more of that. Evacuation plans are being worked on. Those things are good, but we also need a real local WUI code.
Will “Carrots Only” Work?
The easiest approach to wildfire risk mitigation is to say, “Let’s educate people and give them incentives to mitigate.”
On my initiative, Lyons in 2025 started matching up to $500 for participants in Boulder County’s Wildfire Partners program. About 12 homes did. Lyons has about 940 homes, so that’s 1.3% At that rate, it will take 8 years to reach 10% town-wide.
If 1 in 10 close-together homes has been mitigated 8 years from now how much town-wide protection would that give? Not much.
Let’s learn from Vail’s experience. Vail is similar to Lyons in size (about 4,600 pop., so a bit larger) and almost built-out status. Vail and its residents have more financial resources than Lyons does.
As a member of a new Lyons WUI Code task force, I talked in detail with Vail’s fire chief about how successful Vail’s “carrots only” approach has been. Answer: not successful enough.
Vail adopted a prospective-only local WUI Code 5 years ago, backing away from retroactive measures in the 5-foot zone due to some legacy residents’ objections. Vail’s “Fire Free Five” program pays 75% of mitigation costs, with property owners paying 25%. The reimbursement cap is $2000.
After 5 years of generous “carrots” assistance, only 15-20% of Vail properties have mitigated 5 foot zones. Vail is now proceeding toward retroactive measures.
IMO, although Lyons should continue offering carrots, we shouldn’t play Pollyanna for 5+ years and pretend we’ll have satisfactory progress.Vail’s experience with more generous carrots shows carrots-only won’t get us where we need to be.
The draft Lyons Fire District Community Wildfire Protection Plan agrees. It says (p. 61): “Town of Lyons should adopt a Wildfire Resiliency Code which includes retroactive requirements prioritizing homeowner actions to improve wildfire resistance in the Home Ignition Zone (home construction and the first five feet). The lowest cost and most effective actions should be mandatory, and other important recommendations should be strongly encouraged and incentivized if possible.”
What Should We Do?
Our Town/Fire District task force explored options for retroactive measures, focusing on the 5-foot zone. We found things that would be DIY for most residents and relatively inexpensive, particularly if the Town pays part of the cost.
Examples: (1) remove flammable materials within 5 feet of structures, (2) limb up to 6 feet non-deciduous tree branches within 5 feet of buildings, (3) remove “duff” under trees within 5 feet, (4) put 1/8 inch screen mesh in vents, (5) achieve 6-inch ground clearance below wood or vinyl siding. Another possibility: cut (with Town assistance) junipers within 5 feet to within 6 inches of the ground (stump removal not required).
We also looked at harder/more expensive steps: replace wood fences within 8 feet of structures, install flashing at contact points. Though desirable for risk mitigation, the expense and non-DIY nature of those things (and some others) may be a bridge too far for an initial retroactive measures effort. The BOT would need to decide.
Adequate opportunity for public comment is essential before any measures are made mandatory. (Some opposition is to be expected). A grace period (1 year, maybe?) to comply should be given. Costs should be shared.
The BOT would have to budget more money for both cost-sharing and compliance monitoring. (The latter cost might be split with LFPD.) My view is that if we’re not just “blowing smoke” (so to speak) on fire risk mitigation as a priority, we have to find the money. That’s what prioritising means. Some grant funds may be available.
Should Lyons Take the Lead?
Our task force research revealed that few Colorado towns have “gone retroactive”. So should tiny Lyons (possibly along with Vail) “go first”? Should we take the lead, as we’ve done in other areas like ADUs and achieving our 10% local affordable housing goal (#1 in Boulder County)?
I stand with the noted philosopher Lavern Johnson (this is on her statue across from Town Hall): “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” I say we lead.