Attachment B - Wildfire Resilience Measures

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PROGRAM

FAC1. Wildfire Risk Reduction for Homes & Property

DESIRED OUTCOMES

1. Reduce the likelihood of home ignition during a wildfire 2. Increase the survivability of homes and properties exposed to wildfire 3. Reduce structure-to-structure fire spread and community wildfire impacts 4. Increase insurability

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Two measures are used here because assessing homes and hardening them are distinct stages. MEASURE & TARGET

Measures are numbered 1-14 for easy reference across the measure profiles.

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ASPIRATION

5 TO REACH THE ASPIRATION

6 DEFINITIONS & NOTES

Measure 1. DHA: 55% of homes in the 12 WUI priority sections have received a Detailed Home Assessment and are therefore eligible for a WRAP grant by end of 2030. Measure 2. Home Hardening: 20% of homes across in the 12 WUI priority sections are hardened to a standard that makes them eligible for Wildfire Prepared Home Essential designation by end of 2030.

100% of homes in WUI (IR1, IR2, IR3; ~16,000 parcels) are eligible for Wildfire Prepared Home Essential designation. • Altruism: Homeowners who want to act, reached through sustained communication, the Home Hardening Hub, community-level engagement, etc. More investment in outreach here extends impact. • Understanding Risk & Vulnerability: Homeowners who understand the risk and need trusted guidance, reached through DHAs, in-person assistance, community ambassadors, translated materials, etc. • Resourcing: Homeowners who want to act but face cost or access barriers. Reached through additional staffing, expanded WRAP awards, other funding mechanisms, a vetted contractor list, etc. • Beyond Voluntary: A voluntary model cannot reach 100% without a regulatory trigger. • “FAC” = “Fire Adapted Communities”, one of the three National Cohesive Strategies for wildfire resilience. • “IR1/IR2” means Ignition Risk 1 and 2, generally meaning the first and second rows of homes adjacent to WUI natural areas, as defined through the wildfire risk assessment and hazard mapping. IR3 refers to more interior homes in the WUI. • DHAs are required for homeowners to apply for WRAP (Wildfire Resilience Assistance Programs) grants. • Approximately 400 DHAs are completed each year, concentrated within the highest-risk zones. • “Wildfire Prepared Home Essential” is an insurance-recognized standard from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS). IBHS provides a certification valid for three years. • Over 2000 parcels are located within the 12 WUI priority sections, with an additional ~10,000 homes across the broader WUI. • As properties are annexed, they will get include into our estimates. • “Homes” includes both single-family residences and multi-family buildings.

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PROGRAM

FAC2. Wildfire Resilient Building & Landscaping Standards

DESIRED OUTCOMES

1. 2. 3. 4.

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Reduce the likelihood of home ignition during a wildfire Increase the survivability of homes and properties exposed to wildfire Reduce structure-to-structure fire spread and community wildfire impacts Increase insurability

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MEASURE & TARGET

Measure 3. Building Permit: Number of building permits in the priority WUI sections issued per year indicating compliance with applicable International Wildland Urban Interface Code requirements.

Measures are numbered 1-14 for easy reference across the measure profiles.

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ASPIRATION

All new construction and significant remodels in IR1/IR2 result in a Letter of Completion. This measure provides transparency around how much wildfire-resilient construction activity is occurring in the WUI each year.

TO REACH THE ASPIRATION

Continued homeowner compliance and sufficient staff capacity to administer the resulting permits.

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• “FAC” = “Fire Adapted Communities”, one of the three National Cohesive Strategies for wildfire resilience. • Permit volume is demand driven. Demand reflects homeowner and developer activity in the WUI, which is shaped by market conditions, housing turnover, renovation cycles, etc. In years with high construction activity or significant weather events prompting repairs and upgrades, permit counts may rise. In slower markets they will

6 DEFINITIONS & NOTES

fall. Tracking this annually reveals how much wildfire-resilient construction is happening in the highest-risk areas. • “IR1/IR2” means Ignition Risk 1 and 2, generally meaning the first and second rows of homes adjacent to WUI natural areas, as defined through the wildfire risk assessment and hazard mapping. IR3 refers to more interior homes in the WUI. • 34 building permits were completed Aug. 2025 - Sept 2026 • "Letter of Completion" means a letter issued by City staff confirming that all conditions of a building permit have been satisfied, including compliance with applicable International Wildland Urban Interface Code requirements. • "WUI" refers to the Wildland Urban Interface, the where human development meets wildland vegetation.

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PROGRAM

2 DESIRED OUTCOMES

FAC3. Community Emergency Preparedness 1. Educate and empower community members on the topic of evacuation preparedness to save lives during wildfire evacuations. 2. Stronger neighbor-to-neighbor networks that support vulnerable residents.

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Measure 4. Evacuation Programming: 75% of homes across all 12 WUI priority sections receive evacuation programming by the end of 2030.

MEASURE & TARGET Measures are numbered 1-14 for easy reference across the measure profiles.

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ASPIRATION

5 TO REACH THE ASPIRATION

6 DEFINITIONS & NOTES

Reach 100% of homes across all 12 WUI priority sections with evacuation programming by the end of 2030.

Dedicated outreach staff, translated materials, sustained neighborhood-level presence in all 12 WUI priority sections, and partnerships with trusted community organizations to reach renters and non-English speakers.

• • • •

“FAC” = “Fire Adapted Communities”, one of the three National Cohesive Strategies for wildfire resilience. Over 2000 parcels are located in the 12 WUI priority sections, with another ~10,000 across the broader WUI. "Evacuation programming" is a series of educational activities that teach residents how to prepare for and respond to a wildfire evacuation, including route planning, grab list creation, and understanding emergency alert severity levels. Evacuation is just one part of preparedness; there are other projects and measures that also need resourcing and attention.

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PROGRAM

RL1. Wildfire Fuels Management in the WUI

DESIRED OUTCOMES

1. 2. 3. 4.

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Lower flame lengths and keep fire on the ground Slow the rate of wildfire spread Reduce wildfire burn severity and post-fire erosion impacts Maintain or improve ecosystem health

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Measure 5. Fuels: 100% of city-owned acres in WUI natural areas in all 12 WUI priority sections are treated to wildfire risk reduction prescription by the end of 2030.

MEASURE & TARGET Measures are numbered 1-14 for easy reference across the measure profiles.

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ASPIRATION

5

TO REACH THE ASPIRATION

6 DEFINITIONS & NOTES

100% of WUI natural areas, regardless of ownership, treated to prescription. This work keeps fire manageable and help to protect the built environment. Managing the roughly 30% of WUI natural area acreage that is privately held requires approaches the city cannot implement alone. Cross-boundary partnerships, willing landowner agreements, and dedicated funding mechanisms are the primary levers. County, state, and federal grant programs may be the most viable path to closing this gap without displacing other city priorities. •

“RL” = “Resilient Landscapes”, one of the three National Cohesive Strategies for wildfire resilience.

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“WUI natural areas” refers to the natural vegetation within 1,500-feet from the nearest structure where direct flame exposure and ember cast are a significant risk. Across the 12 WUI priority sections, there are ~2383 acres of WUI natural areas.

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“Treatment” means actively managing vegetation through grazing, mowing, forestry work, and other methods. ​

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“Prescription” means to bring conditions within a set of quantitative standards for grass height, tree canopy spacing, tree canopy base height (distance from the ground to tree limbs), and dead material removal that reduce fire behavior to manageable levels.

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WRAP grants can cover up to 100’ from a home, or until you hit the property line, which could overlap with private land management if we enhance this program.

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When the target is reached, the work does not stop. Fuels management requires ongoing reentry and monitoring. ​

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PROGRAM

RL2. Wildfire Fuel Breaks

DESIRED OUTCOMES

1. Ensure that fire spreading from the west encounters a treated fuel break or fuel mitigation project before reaching the 1,500-foot WUI fuel management zone, slowing spread and reducing intensity ahead of the built environment. 2. Reduce flame lengths and rate of spread on approach pathways toward the 12 WUI priority sections. 3. Give wildfire response crews more time and increase access by weakening fire behavior before it reaches structures and evacuation zones.

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3 MEASURE & TARGET Measures are numbered 1-14 for easy reference across the measure profiles.

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ASPIRATION

Measure 6. Fuel Breaks: 70% of modeled "wildfire approach pathways" from the west encounter one or more landscapescale fuel break (or natural disturbance functioning as a fuel break) in treated condition before reaching the 1,500-foot WUI fuel management zone adjacent to the 12 WUI priority sections, based on fire behavior modeling, by end of 2030.

100% of modeled wildfire approach pathways from the west encounter a landscape-scale fuel break in treated condition before reaching the 1,500foot WUI fuel management zone. Fire is slowed, weakened, or stopped before it reaches the community.

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TO REACH THE ASPIRATION

6 DEFINITIONS & NOTES

Land access agreements with federal, county, and private landowners, sustained cross-boundary funding, and expanded forestry and contractor capacity. The fuel break network map must be completed before the full resource requirement can be estimated. • “RL” = “Resilient Landscapes”, one of the three National Cohesive Strategies for wildfire resilience. • "Wildfire approach pathways" means modeled fire spread paths from the west toward the 12 WUI priority sections, based on fire behavior modeling using fuel load, topography, wind, and rate of spread inputs. • "Landscape-scale fuel break" means a zone of reduced vegetation that slows fire spread and lowers flame intensity at the landscape level, beyond the 1,500-foot WUI fuel management zone adjacent to structures. • "Treated condition" means vegetation within the fuel break has been managed to a defined standard through mechanical treatment, prescribed fire, grazing, or other methods.

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PROGRAM

RL3. Prescribed Fire Program

DESIRED OUTCOMES

1. Reduce accumulated fuel loads in priority WUI sections by reintroducing fire as a natural land management tool. 2. Lower the risk of high-intensity wildfire by keeping vegetation within historic fire return intervals. 3. Maintain and improve ecosystem health in fire-adapted landscapes.

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Two measures are used here because readiness to burn and actually burning are distinct stages. MEASURE & TARGET

Measures are numbered 1-14 for easy reference across the measure profiles.

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ASPIRATION

Measure 7. Burn Planning. 50% of city owned land in priority WUI sections covered by a current burn plan by end of 2030. Measure 8. Burn Performance: 50% of available "burn days" according to approved burn plans are utilized through end of 2030. 100% of lands in range of historic variability (5 to 15 year fire return interval).

5 TO REACH THE ASPIRATION

• State-level regulatory flexibility on air quality permits and burn windows, expanded burn boss and crew capacity, interagency burning associations, greater risk tolerance, and sustained community engagement to build smoke tolerance.

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• “RL” = “Resilient Landscapes”, one of the three National Cohesive Strategies for wildfire resilience. • "Burn plan" means a written prescribed fire plan approved by qualified fire management staff that documents the burn area, objectives, prescription parameters, ignition procedures, smoke management, contingency actions, etc., as required before any prescribed fire is conducted. • "Available burn days" means days within a calendar year when weather conditions, air quality, staffing, and operational readiness fall within the prescription parameters defined in an approved burn plan. • "Historic variability" means the natural range of fire return intervals prior to fire suppression, generally 5 to 15 years depending on vegetation type and elevation.

DEFINITIONS & NOTES

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PROGRAM

2 DESIRED OUTCOMES

WR1: Effective Wildfire Response 1. Prevent wildfire from reaching the built environment by keeping fire in the wildland and under control.

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Measure 9. Wildfire Suppression: 90% of wildland ignitions on city-managed and adjacent lands are contained under 1 acre through 2030.

MEASURE & TARGET Measures are numbered 1-14 for easy reference across the measure profiles.

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ASPIRATION

99% of wildland ignitions contained under 1 acre.

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TO REACH THE ASPIRATION

Additional initial attack capacity, enhanced mutual aid agreements. The most extreme fire weather events will always exceed any containment capability.

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DEFINITIONS & NOTES

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“WR” = “Safe and Effective Wildfire Response”, one of the three National Cohesive Strategies for wildfire resilience. "Wildland ignition" means a fire that originates in vegetation outside the built environment within or adjacent to Boulder's WUI. "Contained at 1 acre" means the fire perimeter has been controlled before spreading beyond approximately one acre, reflecting the point at which fires become harder to control. "90% containment rate" means that in any given year, at least 90% of recorded wildland ignitions are contained at or under one acre. For example, if 20 ignitions were recorded, the target would require that at least 18 of those were held under one acre. The 90% target applies under typical and foreseeable conditions; it does not promise performance under extreme weather.

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PROGRAM

2 DESIRED OUTCOMES 3

WR2. Tactical Evacuation

1. Ensure every neighborhood in the WUI can be safely evacuated within a known and defensible time window before fire arrives 2. Give emergency managers the operational data needed to make timely, confident evacuation decisions 3. Reduce the risk of loss of life by getting people out faster than fire can spread

Two measures are used here because evacuation planning and actual evacuation performance are distinct stages. MEASURE & TARGET

Measures are numbered 1-14 for easy reference across the measure profiles.

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ASPIRATION

5 TO REACH

THE ASPIRATION

Measure 10. Evacuation Planning. 100% of city evacuation polygons will feature current RSET assessments and complete polygon attribute documentation by the end of 2028. Measure 11. Evacuation Performance: Average RSET time is 2.5 hours for the 12 WUI priority sections, validated through after-action reviews and maintained through 2030. Every evacuation polygon in the city has a current, tested RSET assessment, validated through regular mock evacuations, with demonstrated average clearance times consistently below estimated fire arrival windows in all risk groups. • Completing remaining polygons requires dedicated ODM and Police Department staff time. • Mock evacuations in higher-risk neighborhoods are the most direct way to validate whether modeled clearance times hold in practice. • “WR” = “Safe and Effective Wildfire Response”, one of the three National Cohesive Strategies for wildfire resilience.

6 DEFINITIONS & NOTES

• “RSET" means Required Safe Evacuation Time: The estimated time needed to safely evacuate all residents from a defined polygon, calculated using traffic modeling and accounting for detection and size-up, evacuation request, alert processing, milling time, and drive time to a safe location. • Western WUI polygons currently have updated RSETs and only require attribute documentation. All other remaining city polygons are scheduled to receive updated RSET assessments by the end of 2027 and follow-on polygon attribution. • "Milling time" means the time between when a resident receives an evacuation alert and when they begin moving toward their vehicle or exit route. • "Polygon attribute assessment" means the detailed operational data collected for each evacuation polygon including primary evacuation routes, traffic control points, critical evacuation sites, defend-in-place structures, resource estimates for door-to-door notifications and traffic control, and potential safe refuge areas.

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PROGRAM

2 DESIRED OUTCOMES

1. Reduce the number of human-caused wildfire ignitions through prevention, patrol, and electrical infrastructure hardening. 2. Reduce the risk of ignitions from utility infrastructure through coordination with Xcel and PUC engagement. 3. Protect natural areas and values at risk from preventable fire starts. Two measures are used here because they represent different aspects of wildfire ignitions.

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MEASURE & TARGET Measures are numbered 1-14 for easy reference across the measure profiles.

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WR3. Ignition Prevention & Utility Hardening Measure 12. Ignitions: 10% reduction in the five-year rolling average of human-likely wildfire ignitions compared with the 2021–2025 baseline by end of 2030 Measure 13. Utility Hardening: 20 miles of overhead utility lines undergrounded in and around Boulder by the end of 2030.

ASPIRATION

Zero human-caused and electrical utility-caused ignitions in natural vegetation.

5 TO REACH THE ASPIRATION

Accelerated Xcel infrastructure hardening, expanded patrol capacity during elevated risk periods, public behavior change campaigns, additional infrastructure hardening.

6 DEFINITIONS & NOTES

• “WR” = “Safe and Effective Wildfire Response”, one of the three National Cohesive Strategies for wildfire resilience. • "Human-caused ignitions" means wildfire ignitions where the cause is determined or presumed to be human activity. • "Five-year rolling average" means the average annual number of human-likely ignitions across the most recent five complete calendar years, updated annually. This smooths year-to-year variation driven by weather and conditions outside staff control. • "2021 to 2025 baseline" refers to the approximately 43 human-likely ignitions per year, based on fires to which city units responded during that period, classified as human-likely by staff based on field knowledge and cause investigation. • Year-to-year counts are sensitive to weather and conditions outside staff control. The measure should be evaluated as a trend over multiple years rather than a single-year. • Adding a more robust data collection system is a need and work in progress. • Additional Xcel measures could include PSPS frequency/impacts, equipment upgrades, vegetation maintenance, and hardening of aerial circuits.

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PROGRAM

RG1. Wildfire Comms & Engagement

DESIRED OUTCOMES

• • • •

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Increase community awareness of wildfire risk, home hardening, and risk reduction actions Help residents feel informed and motivated to take home hardening, defensible space, and preparedness actions Connect community members with Wildfire Ready resources, programs, and services Build public trust in the city's wildfire resilience work

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MEASURE & TARGET Measures are numbered 1-14 for easy reference across the measure profiles.

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Measure 14. Communications: 55% of surveyed residents engaged in wildfire preparedness report that City of Boulder wildfire information, programs or engagement made them more likely to, or better informed to, take wildfire mitigation or risk-reduction action, with increased participation among residents in priority wildfire-risk areas through end of 2030.

ASPIRATION

Residents across Boulder consistently receive, understand and use wildfire preparedness information, and City communications and engagement measurably contribute to household wildfire risk-reduction actions.

5 TO REACH THE ASPIRATION

Sustained, repeated engagement across multiple channels; targeted outreach in priority wildfire-risk areas; accessible and translated materials; strong connections between communications and mitigation programs; and consistent measurement that tracks awareness, usefulness and reported action over time. • “RG” = “Responsible Governance.” • This program is a catalyst and multiplier for all other Tier 1 programs. • A multi-question survey instrument will be developed that will work in multiple events (in development). • “Engaged in wildfire preparedness” includes residents who have sought information, participated in a program or event, completed preparedness or mitigation activities • City of Boulder wildfire interactions may include the Wildfire Ready Hub (which includes the Home Hardening Hub), webpages, newsletters, mailers, social media, community events, preparedness walks, home assessments, WRAP, presentations, tabling, videos and direct staff engagement • Mitigation/risk-reduction efforts may include home hardening, defensible space, vegetation management, emergency preparedness, completing an assessment, applying for a mitigation program or other actions that reduce wildfire risk • The measure captures self-reported contribution, rather than claiming that City communications alone caused an action. • Supporting indicators can track number and type of touchpoints, repeat engagement, program participation, geographic reach and reported actions taken. • Results should be evaluated over time and, where feasible, segmented by geography/risk area to identify gaps in reach and effectiveness.

6 DEFINITIONS & NOTES