Fire on the Front Range

Course Details

Climate change is occurring at a faster rate than previously expected. One of the alarming effects is that many communities are experiencing more frequent and devastating wildfires, which bring short and long-term impacts to rural, suburban, and urban areas. Seasoned planning and mitigation professionals from the Colorado Front Range discuss how wildfire has shaped their land use planning, resilience, and recovery activities over the past decade. They highlight practical tools and insights to help participants understand the need to plan for wildfires, how land use decisions are directly connected to response effectiveness, firefighter and public safety, and considerations for disaster recovery planning. 

The goal is to inspire and empower planners to take proactive steps now that increase their resiliency to wildfire in their local communities. Content is designed to assist planners working across a wide spectrum of communities across the West, including those who may be focused on other topics but are encouraged to consider wildfire mitigation as part of their planning practice. 

Learning Outcomes

• Formulate specific and realistic planning actions to address local wildfire challenges that reduce risk in the built environment through policies, regulations, and other activities.
• Make an articulate argument to local leaders on the urgency to plan for wildfires, underscoring their potential wide-ranging and long-term impacts on communities.
• Think more broadly about how and with whom planners should collaborate to address a complex hazard topic that requires multiple disciplines and perspectives.