The Four Mile Fire Crew conducts fee-for-service defensible space treatments for homeowners in our service area. Rates are dependent on the following factors:  

• Amount of time to complete the project 
• Number of crewmembers working 
• Use of apparatus to haul biomass from the property  

The Four Mile Fire Crew is also a certified Wildfire Partners contractor! Our Crew can conduct work outlined in a Wildfire Partners Home Assessment to help have your home Wildfire Partners certified.  

Additionally, you may receive a Financial Award (50% of the cost up to $2,000) if funding is available.  

Please visit the Wildfire Partners website for more information and to fill out an application. 

The Four Mile Fire Crew is a certified chipping contractor through Boulder County Wildfire Partners.  

As part of our district’s forest restoration and wildfire mitigation work, we execute controlled burns as a method of disposing of biomass on some project sites. 

Wood chipping is generally our preferred biomass disposal method, but for many projects this is not an available option; we cannot create too deep of a layer of wood chips for several reasons, and sometimes we cannot access our projects with the woodchipper. 

In these cases, we build slash piles that are left to cure, and then are burned in the winter. We acquire all permits through Boulder County, and we have several highly trained firefighters with years of experience managing and supervising pile burns. 

There are many items in our checklist that we review to ensure any planned burn will be safe and successful, including: air quality, snow coverage and quality, forecasted and observed wind speeds, forecasted temperatures, communication with property owners and communication with the Boulder County Communications Center.  

When you see more than several inches of snow on the ground, you will commonly see smoke from one of our burns. Also, many landowners are trained in slash pile burning, and are permitted to conduct their own pile burns, so you may notice smoke originating from multiple locations in the foothills on ‘burn days.’ 

Pile burning is always a multi-day project. On day one, we ignite the piles and work throughout the day to ensure that they will be secure for the night. Throughout the night it is normal and safe for smoldering smoke and flames to be visible—If we aren’t comfortable leaving the piles smoldering overnight, we do not conduct the burn in the first place. On the following day, we work to fully extinguish the piles. If there is no detectable heat at the end of the second day, we call the pile burn complete. If there is any detectable heat, or there is a forecast of warmer temperatures or increased wind, we return to check the piles on the third day. 

For more information on slash pile burns, please complete the Fire Mitigation Inquiry Form .

The Four Mile Fire Crew is comprised of several National Wildlife Coordinating Group (NWCG) certified Basic and Intermediate Fallers.

Please complete the Fire Mitigation Inquiry Form to arrange a consultation and cost estimate.

The Four Mile Fire Crew is largely funded by work conducted on landscape-scale mitigation projects. These projects are funded through grants, homeowner contributions, and agricultural tax programs.  

The Four Mile Fire Crew has recently completed landscape-scale mitigation projects on the Poorman Road hillside (FMFPD) and at Sacred Mountain Ashram (GHFPD). The Four Mile Fire Crew is currently working on Eagles Drive (SFPD). 

Please complete the Fire Mitigation Inquiry Form for more information.

With funding from Wildfire Partners, Four Mile Fire Protection District has a Community Mitigation Tool Library located at Poorman Station.  

Please fill out the Google Form linked here if you are interested in renting tools.  

We also want to encourage community members within our district to take steps to mitigate their property.  

Check out the following resources for tips: 

University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Wildfire Preparedness