A local neighborhood is embracing fire mitigation and is seeking to train others to assist with future efforts in northern El Paso County.

Fire mitigation is involves creating defensible space and managing vegetation, which reduces wildfire risk, severity and potential damage.

Steve Statham is a Fire Adapted Colorado Neighborhood ambassador and an Arrowwood Fire Mitigation committee member for Arrowwood I/II neighborhood fire mitigation efforts. Statham and committee members are taking FACO-provided fire courses, and hope to educate and train others to better understand the risks involved and rewards achieved through fire mitigation.

“I’m a concerned property owner who, along with fellow committee members, is trying to mobilize our community to make all of us safer and, along the way, create a more tightly knit group of people who care about each other,” Statham said.

Several residents have voiced concerns about neighborhood fire danger. These concerns stem from the unhealthy state of forest due to long term lack of forest thinning, along with dwarf mistletoe and pin beetle issues.

Statham and others have been working to mitigate their own properties for years. However, it has become apparent this approach isn’t sufficient to protect everyone in the area, he said. The Black Forest and Waldo Canyon fires added to concerns.

Last year, committee member and neighbor Lisa Fitzpatrick learned about a chipping program provided through the Monument Fire Dept. This inspired the current effort, leading to mitigation and chipping efforts last fall, and an introduction to FACO and training.  

A chipping program is a community-focused service. It is often offered by local fire departments or conservation groups that provides free or low-cost disposal of tree branches, shrubs, and woody debris to help residents create defensible space.

The program is a community-based service where fire departments or organizations chip woody debris (branches, brush, tree limbs) to help homeowners create defensible space. It involves preparing slash piles, scheduling pickup and chipping materials, with chips often left on-site to be used as mulch

“We organized a community level gathering last October where MFD personnel presented their view of the forest and risks from their perspective which helped educated the larger community with respect to the dangers we face,” Statham said.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, more people are living in the Wildland-Urban Interface, resulting in a major shift toward homeowners taking responsibility for protecting their property.

“(El Paso County) has vast areas of forest interface on the west side, within the city, throughout Black Forest and touching the eastern planes portion of the county. Any one of these areas could cause widespread devastation as we’ve seen in the past,” Statham said.

Jonathan Bradley and Aaron Wood, fire chiefs helping lead fire mitigation efforts, recommended giving top priority to ingress/egress safety along the roads. This is designing, regulating and maintaining driveway, intersection and private road access points that allow vehicles and pedestrians to safely enter (ingress) and exit (egress) a property or roadway.

“Given their (roads) current state, the fire department would likely not enter our community during a large fire event due to the danger presented by the overgrown conditions along our roads. We only have two primary roads entering our area, both which connect on the north side to Highway 105,” Statham said.

“Due to MFDs recommendations, we decided to follow their lead and organize our community around making the County Right of Way safer by working to clear fuels along our roads as the most urgent activity for community-wide action.

“In 2026 we intend to make significant progress on improving ROW safety along our two primary roads which intersect with Highway 105, to allow both fire department(s) to safely enter as well as for our community members to safely exit during an emergency.”

Statham said he and his peers expect the fire mitigation efforts to continue long into the future.

“We’re trying to build a structure where we can effectively communicate and plan mitigation efforts appropriate to the most pressing problems,” he said. “This means we’ll likely continue ROW work into next year, so all roads are appropriately safe.”

Through coordination efforts and ROW mitigation days, committees and neighbors have worked side-by-side to build a safer community. Volunteers operate chainsaws and clippers, and work on properties where owners don’t possess the physical ability or skills to perform their own mitigation.

“Traditionally, we’d meet each other as we passed on our roads walking the neighborhood. But most people didn’t know too many others, especially if they weren’t close by,” he said.

In an April 14 Facebook post, Fitzpatrick thanked everyone who assisted in a recent mitigation effort, and for providing food and drink for volunteer workers.

“Everyone in this community who is taking part in the mitigation effort needs to be extremely proud,” Fitzpatrick wrote. “One of the volunteer coordinators with FACO made a visit to the neighborhood and made a comment to the effect that he had never seen this level of accomplishment in his 10 years with FACO.”

Andre Mouton, a FACO coordinator involved with training residents, said he is impressed with the work that has been accomplished.

“We are training residents in fire mitigation so they can train others in their neighborhood,” Mouton said. “They are advising others how the work needs to be done, and we have seen great results.

“I am really excited about the work residents are doing. Nowhere else have I seen the volume of work that is being done. Residents are going great work and the MFD is doing a phenomenal job with the chipping program.”

Statham said people must get involved, and not rely on the government or others to solve the problem. Community cohesion is the big win because neighbor collaboration as people volunteer their time and energy to help people they never knew.

“The old ‘it takes a village’ concept fits perfectly,” he said. “If we can team up between home/property owners, and various governmental organizations we can make a huge difference. We’re looking for your assistance to help educate and spread the word.”

“For years, this neighborhood saw no community involvement,” Bradley said. “Now, it looks spectacular.”

Mouton added, “It will take a long time, but we are making great strides to get to where we want to be.”

The next activity will be held from 9 a.m.-1p.m., Saturday, May 2, and will focus on thinning near the north end of Sierra Way. To learn more email questions to arrowwoodfiremitigation@gmail.com.