The FireBrief℠ Assessment
A Working Plan for Your Property
A FireBrief℠ Assessment is Colorado Safe Lands' scoped wildfire mitigation plan — a concise, property-specific document that identifies what needs to happen on your property, what should be prioritized, and what it would cost to get the work done.
It's the right product when your goal is getting mitigation work done, not producing insurance documentation. A working plan, built around your actual property, delivered in a format you can act on.
Why a FireBrief℠ Exists
Most homeowners don't need the full apparatus of an insurance-grade assessment.
What they need is a professional set of eyes on their property, a clear identification of what to address first, and a realistic idea of what the work would cost. That's exactly what a FireBrief℠ Assessment delivers.
The free assessment from your local fire department or CSFS is a valuable service, but it's cursory — no photos, no customized planning, no scoped pricing. A FireBrief℠ takes the next step: same walk-through thoroughness, but delivered as a working document you can reference, share with your spouse, hand to another contractor, or use as a self-mitigation guide.
It's the product for homeowners who know they want the work done and want it scoped properly.
What's In It
A FireBrief℠ is a 2-4 page document that includes:
Photo documentation.
8-15 photos from your property showing the specific conditions identified — the overhanging branch, the firewood stacked against the siding, the unscreened vent. Not generic examples, actual conditions at your address.
A prioritized action plan.
Specific work, ranked in three tiers: Critical (address this season), High (address this year), Moderate (plan for). Each item has a clear description and a rough cost estimate.
Zone-by-zone observations.
Brief notes on what we saw in each defensible space zone and on the structure itself — what's working, what isn't, what the priorities are.
Scoped pricing.
If you'd like us to do the work, the FireBrief℠ includes line-item pricing for each recommended task. If you'd rather do it yourself or hire another contractor, the pricing gives you a realistic benchmark.
A summary sheet.
The first page is a one-page overview — your top three to five priorities with photos — so the essential information is captured at a glance, even if you never read past the first page.
What Makes It Different
It's a working document, not a sales tool.
Some contractors deliver a "quote" that's really just a price tag. The FireBrief℠ is structured as a plan first and a quote second — so if you decide to self-mitigate or hire another contractor, the document still has value.
It's written by the person who'd do the work.
A FireBrief℠ isn't written by a third-party assessor handing off to someone else. The same certified specialist who walks your property writes the plan and would perform the work. That means the scoping is realistic and the pricing is grounded in what the job actually takes.
It's concise.
The FireBrief℠ is intentionally short. 2-4 pages, focused on what matters. You can read it in ten minutes and understand exactly what needs to happen on your property.
Who It's For
A FireBrief℠ is the right product when:
You know you need mitigation work done.
You've been in the Gunnison Valley long enough to know your property needs attention, and you want a professional plan to work from.
You want a scoped quote, not a verbal estimate.
You've gotten enough verbal estimates from contractors over the years. You want something written, documented, photographed, and specific.
You're planning to self-mitigate but want a guide.
You're capable and motivated to do the simpler work yourself, but you want a professional assessment of what those priorities are and what the higher-value work would be.
You're coordinating across multiple contractors.
You want a document that can be shared with tree services, landscapers, or roofers — so each knows exactly what's needed and where the priorities are.
You want to dip your toes in.
You're not ready to commit to a full FireFile℠ or a major mitigation project. A FireBrief℠ is a low-commitment way to get professional eyes on your property and see how it goes from there.
Pricing
The FireBrief℠ is $200.
If you hire us for mitigation work within 60 days of delivery, we apply a credit toward your mitigation invoice — 10% of the project total, capped at $200.
If you use the FireBrief to do the work yourself, or to hire another contractor, the $200 is simply the cost of the document. No refund, no questions asked — the document is yours to use as you see fit.
How It Works
1. Initial contact.
Call (970) 251-7500 or request a visit through the website. We'll schedule a site visit that works for you.
2. On-site assessment.
A scheduled visit of 1-2+ hours, depending on property size and complexity. Photo documentation using GPS-tagged equipment. If you're on-site, we'll walk it together and you can ask questions as we go.
3. Drafting.
We review the findings and draft the FireBrief℠ with photos, prioritized action items, and scoped pricing.
4. Delivery.
You receive the FireBrief℠ as a PDF (and printed copy if you prefer).
5. Your call.
Hire us for the recommended work, do it yourself, or keep the document for reference. The FireBrief℠ is yours either way.
When a FireFile℠ Might Be Better
If you're dealing with an insurance non-renewal, a significant premium increase, an HB25-1182 appeal, or you're buying a high-value property in wildfire country — the formal insurance-grade documentation of a FireFile℠ report is usually the right product. The FireBrief℠ Assessment is designed for mitigation planning, not for insurance-facing documentation.
Learn more about FireFile℠ report →
Ready to Start?
Request a FireBrief℠ through the website or call (970) 251-7500. We typically schedule visits within 1-2 weeks and deliver the document 3-5 business days after the visit.
Conducted by NFPA Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist. Aligned with Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) Home Ignition Zone guidelines and NFPA 1140 (2022, formerly NFPA 1144).