ALPINE PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION
And the Town of St. Elmo
Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)
NOVEMBER 2009
Definition of Community’s Wildland Urban Interface:
The communities of Alpine and St. Elmo are located in upper Chalk
Creek Canyon in Chaffee County. These rural mountain communities
are accessed by heading west on county road 162 from Hwy 285
in Nathrop.
Both town sites are historic mining towns and date to 1879 and
1889 respectively. Although few original buildings still
remain in Alpine, the town of St. Elmo includes 38 structures that
are included in the St. Elmo Historic District listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. Over 70,000 visitors travel
CR 162 to visit St. Elmo during a one year period.
There are approximately 140 property owners in the two communities
which are surrounded by USFS land. In the Chaffee County
CWPP subdivision wildfire risk assessment Alpine was given the
highest rating of extreme and St. Elmo was rated as very high. The
vegetation type is mixed conifer forest with juniper shrubs, aspen,
Douglas fir, ponderosa pine and some lodge pole pine trees. Significant
improvement through the efforts of property owners in wildfire
mitigation and fuel reduction have taken place for many years with
an extensive cleanup effort of the historic Alpine Cemetery in
2006. Then in the summer of 2007 the community of Alpine
experienced a catastrophic debris slide which caused significant
property damage and totally covered the cemetery. The following
plan has been created for the proactive operations, protection
and safety of both Alpine and St. Elmo property owners. See
attached maps for details of the communities.
Identification
of adjacent landowners:
The land surrounding both the communities of Alpine and St. Elmo
is all USFS land.
Risk Analysis:
In the Chaffee County CWPP a risk assessment was done for the
communities of Alpine and St. Elmo. In the Chaffee County CWPP subdivision
wildfire risk assessment Alpine was given the highest rating
of extreme and St. Elmo was rated as very high. Both communities
have shown a risk of mud slides.
Preparedness to Respond to Wildland Fires:
The communities of Alpine and St. Elmo are located 15 to 17 miles
west of Chaffee County Fire Protection District Station #2 located
in the Town of Nathrop. This is the closest fire station
to Alpine and St. Elmo. Station #2 to has a type 6 brush
truck with 200 gallons, a tender and a type 1 fire engine with
four wheel drive. Alpine and St. Elmo both have dry hydrants
located in their communities.
Recommendations of Methods to Reduce Structural Ignitability:
Go to firewise .org for
educational material on the reductions of structural ignitability. Information below is from Firewise “Be
Firewise Around Your Home”.
- Firewise recommendations for reduction of fuels around
the home ignition zone: The Home Ignition Zone
begins with at least 30 feet of space immediately around the
home and extending out as far as 100 to 200 feet depending
on the characteristics of the surrounding forests or grasslands. Creating
and maintaining the Home Ignition Zone reduces or eliminates
ignition hazards presented by vegetation (by thinning or spacing,
removing dead leaves and needles and pruning shrubs and tree
branches) and combustible construction (wooden porches, decks
storage sheds, outbuildings, swing sets and fences).
- Lean clean and green landscaping: With
Firewise landscaping, you can create survivable space around
your home that reduces your wildfire threat. Prune large
trees so that the lowest branches are at least 6 to 10 feet high
to prevent a fire on the ground from spreading to the tree tops. Within
the Home Ignition Zone, remove flammable plants that contain
resins, oils, and waxes that burn readily: ornamental junipers,
red cedar, and young pine. A list of less-flammable plants
can be obtained from your local state forester, forestry office,
county extension office or landscape specialist.
- Fire resistant roof construction: Firewise
roof construction materials include Class-A asphalt shingles,
metal, slate or clay tile, and concrete products. Thin
inclusion of a fire-resistant sub roof adds protection. Make
a periodic inspection looking for deterioration such as breaks
and spaces between roof tiles. Keep the roof, gutters,
and eaves clear of leaves and other debris. Make sure under-eave
and soffit vents are as close as possible to the roof line. Box
in eaves, but be sure to provide adequate ventilation to prevent
condensation and mildew.
- Fire resistant attachments: Attachments
include any structure connected to your home, such as decks,
porches, or fences. If these items attached to a home are not fire-resistant,
then the home as a whole is vulnerable to ignition.
- Fire resistant construction: Wall materials
that resist heat and flames include brick, cement, plaster, stucco,
and concrete masonry. Tempered and double-pane glass windows
can make a home more resistant to wildfire heat and flames.
- A disaster plan: The time for any emergency
is prior to the event. Take time to discuss with your family
what actions you will take. Post emergency telephone numbers
in a visible place. Leave before it is too late. Decide
where you will go and how you will get there. Have tools
available (shovel, rake, axe, handsaw, or chainsaw). Maintain
an emergency water source. Have a plan for your pets. Practice
family fire drills.
- Emergency access: Identify your home
and neighborhood with legible and clearly marked street names
and numbers. Include a driveway that is at least 12 feet
wide with a vertical clearance of 15 feet and a slope of less
than 5 percent to provide access to emergency vehicles.
Implementation Plan
Identification of Fuels Treatment Projects
- Individual lots -Inform and
support individual property owners through reduction of wildfire
risks and improvement of wildfire response safety. Continue
wildfire education of individual property owners and encourage
them to reduce on-site fuel throughout their property, and to
develop safer more defensible perimeters around houses and other
structures. Information from the firewise.org web site
will be one of the sources for educational information.
- Alpine and St. Elmo Community - Revise
existing maps with updated homeowner status and contact numbers
and distribute the map to local fire and emergency teams. Identify
evacuation staging areas/landing zones, develop drill evacuation
plans.
- Neighboring Lands - develop
a coordinated wildfire mitigation effort with Chaffee County,
the Colorado State Forest Service, the US Forest Service (USFS),
and adjacent private property owners. Request a meeting with
USFS fire staff to discuss future fuels reduction work on USFS
public land adjacent to Alpine and St. Elmo. In addition
discuss the coordination of USFS to maintain a safety fire exit
corridor along County Roads 292 and 162 that includes deadwood
management. After the mud slides it is desired to have
restoration of the cemetery grounds (USFS land).
- Funding - To seek and expand
Alpine and St. Elmo resources and potential funding for fuel
reduction and wildfire mitigation efforts.
- Slash Disposal - Develop
options and additional support for disposal of slash. We
would like support from the Board of County Commissioners to
seek solutions to the slash disposal problem in the county.
- Chaffee County Fire Protection District -
Request Chaffee County Fire Protection District to identify and
enhance assess points near water sources where the fire department
could place their portable water pumps. Assure coordinated
effort by Chaffee Count Fire Protection District and Alpine to
clean/maintain Alpine Lake dry fire hydrant and repair and clean/maintain
St. Elmo Chalk Creek dry fire hydrant. Research, evaluate
and potentially pursue options for cistern water storage or install
additional dry hydrants or firefighting equipment with coordinated
training provided by Chaffee County Fire Protection District.
Suggested or Preferred Method of Treatment
The suggested and preferred method of treatment for the creation
of defensible space is having CSFS or the trained community members
in the community flag the trees for removal. The homeowners
do the work themselves or contract out the work. Have
a central location to pile the slash and then hire a contractor
to masticate the pile and then haul off the material.
Project Map (see attached)
Prioritization of Projects
- Individual lots
- Alpine and St. Elmo Community
- Neighboring Lands
- Funding
- Slash Disposal
- Chaffee County Fire Protection District
Work to Date:
- 2008 State Fire Assistance (SFA) Fuels Reduction Project for
the Town of Alpine and the Town St. Elmo. In
the summer of 2009 SFA grant money was be spent to do fuels mitigation
work around the homes in the Town of Alpine and St.Elmo. This
was a $23,600 project and several lots were treated with the
funding. Lots were marked by CSFS, individual homowners
performed fuels reductions work and a contractor was hired to
chip and remove the slash.
- In the 1990’s citizens from Alpine and St. Elmo financially
contributed to the installation of dry fire hydrants.
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