By Shannon Lukens.
You can get reimbursed up to $500 for doing wildfire mitigation around your home. The Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council is managing the program.
There are three categories that can qualify you for the rebate.
Fences are Fuses — One of the insights gained from the Marshall Fire was how easily combustible fences allowed fire to travel from house to house. The Fences Are Fuses rebate can help you replace the first five feet of fencing touching your home with a non-combustible material like metal, or help you replace wooden fencing where it is within five feet of a structure.
Screening Vents – The rebate can help you install metal screening with no more than an 1/8” gauge on the vents. This prevents embers from getting blown into the vents under your eaves, into your crawl space, under your deck, and into your attic. Screening vents is one of the cheapest, easiest, high-impact mitigation measures you can take to protect your home.
First Five Feet – This is where you would replace combustible materials and vegetation within five feet of your home. Use rocks instead of mulch. Remove flammable bushes.
The deadline to apply is Aug. 30. Questions? Email info@routtwildfire.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE; Aug. 8, 2024
Contact: Halie Cunningham, RCWMC
Rebate Program For Wildfire Mitigation ##
Get paid to adapt your home to wildfire
Wildfire season is upon us. Is your home ready and resilient? The Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council (RCWMC) is launching a brand new program which will help renters and homeowners alike harden their homes to wildfire threats. It’s called the Routt Resident Rebate Program and you could be reimbursed up to $500 for doing mitigation on and around your home. Qualified projects fit into three categories: Fences Are Fuses, Screening Vents, and The First Five Feet.
One of the insights gained from the Marshall Fire was how easily combustible fences allowed fire to travel from house to house. The Fences Are Fuses rebate can help you replace the first five feet of fencing touching your home with a non-combustible material like metal, or help you replace wooden fencing where it is within five feet of a structure.
The Screening Vents rebate can help you install metal screening with no more than an eighth inch gauge on your vents. This prevents embers from getting blown into the vents under your eaves, into your crawl space, under your deck, and into your attic.
Screening vents is one of the cheapest, easiest, high-impact mitigation measures you can take to protect your home. The First Five Feet rebate can help you replace combustible materials and vegetation in the zero to five foot zone around your house. This could mean replacing wooden mulch with river rocks, or taking out your highly-flammable juniper bushes and replacing them with low-flammability plants.
You can apply to all of the programs but can only be awarded a maximum of $500. The application period closes on August 30th or when the maximum number of awardees has been reached. Learn more about this program and apply routtwildfire.org/routt-resident-rebates/.
The Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council’s mission is to create resilient fire-adapted communities to minimize potential impacts of wildfire. RCWMC fulfills this mission through science-based training and education, by managing free county-wide programs, and leveraging funding to support fire districts and neighborhoods with mitigation work. If you want to learn more and get involved, you can email your questions and ideas to info@routtwildfire.org .