Community Wildfire Risk Assessment open house on Wednesday night

Aerial footage of the Parley's Canyon Fire from Saturday, August 14, 2021. Photo: Utah Fire Info

PARK CITY, Utah. — Park City Government is hosting a Community Wildfire Risk Assessment open house on Wednesday July 20 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in City Hall’s Council Chambers at 445 Marsac Avenue. Residents are encouraged to attend to learn more about the project and how they can get involved.

The Community Wildfire Preparedness Plan (CWPP), provides a baseline for Park City’s wildfire ‘Preparedness, Planning and Mitigation’ efforts. Recent wildfire planning documents state that over 600 of Utah’s communities have been classified as “at risk” of wildfire and that the primary responsibility for the safety of the citizens and community lies in the hands of local government and the citizens/owners.

Alpine Forestry LLC, is working as a contractor with the town to implement the Community Wildfire Risk Assessment Plan, with a project budget of $250,000 approved on April 28, 2022. The timeline for the plan creation is one year with the hopes of being set up for next fire season. The plan will help both the City & HOA’s identify high risk areas and be efficient with their mitigation efforts & budgets as well as provide solid background when applying for federal grant programs to offset fire mitigation costs.

The ‘Community Wildfire Risk Assessment’ provides the ‘Plan’ in which the following goals may be achieved:

• Resource Identification: Significant data collection, ground proofing and mapping environmental, economic, and social resources.
• Prioritized Mitigation Efforts: Fire behavior analysis and identification of high- risk locations. Areas will be prioritized in an effort to plan mitigation and funding accordingly. The Plan will allow a baseline in which ordinances may incentivize property owners to address high risk areas in a proactive timeframe.
• Federal and State Grant Support: The Plan will be conducted within the framework of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (NCWFMS), which is applicable for future State or Federal grant applications.
• Community Engagement and Information: The Plan provides information and best practices for HOAs and residents.

Development of the Plan and analysis of information will continue throughout the Fall and Winter, with an anticipated adoption of the Plan in spring of 2023.