What To Expect?
It Starts With a Walk Around Your Property
A wildfire risk assessment isn't a sales pitch. It's a straightforward evaluation of your property's current condition - what's working, what's not, and what you can do about it.
Here's what the visit looks like.
Before We Arrive
After we connect by phone or through the website, we'll schedule a time that works for you - typically an afternoon slot during the work week. If you're a second homeowner and won't be on-site, that's fine. We'll document everything so you can review it remotely.
All we need from you beforehand: let me know about any areas of the property we should be aware of (dogs, locked gates, sensitive landscaping, etc.).
The Walk-Through
I walk your entire property, especially evaluating wildfire risk across three zones - 0 to 5 feet from the structure, 5 to 30 feet, and 30 to 100 feet. Each zone has a different goal and different standards.
I'm looking at:
What's directly against your home and structures - vegetation, mulch, firewood, combustible materials
Ladder fuels - brush, low branches, and dense understory that can carry ground fire into the tree canopy
Tree spacing, health, and species - conifer density, beetle-kill, mistletoe, dead or dying trees
Slope and terrain - fire moves faster uphill, so steeper properties need wider spacing
Access - can a fire truck get to your house?
The overall fuel picture - how would fire behave if it reached your property right now?
If you're on-site or on a video call, we'll point things out as we go and answer questions. Most property owners are surprised by what they learn - not because the situation is dire, but because small things they never noticed (a juniper against the foundation, firewood stacked by the deck, needles in a gutter) make a real difference.
For residential properties, the walk-through takes about 1 to 2+ hours depending on property size and complexity of risk.
What You Get After
Within a few days you'll receive a Wildfire Risk Assessment & prescription (WRAP) report that includes:
Photos documenting current conditions across each zone
Identified risks ranked by priority - what matters most, what can wait
Specific recommendations for each zone, with clear explanations of why
A prioritized action plan so you know where to start
I provide a detailed quote with the WRAP based on the assessment findings. If you want to move forward with mitigation work, we can prioritize based on your needs and what will have the biggest impact on your risk score. No pressure. The report is yours either way, and some property owners use it to do the simpler tasks themselves before hiring out the rest.
How It Helps With Insurance
Under Colorado HB 1182 (effective July 2026), your insurer is required to recognize documented mitigation work when calculating your risk score. The assessment report establishes your baseline - the documented "before" that makes your completed mitigation meaningful to your insurance carrier.
After mitigation is complete, we provide a certified completion package with before-and-after photos and a compliance letter. That's what you submit to your insurer to qualify for premium adjustments.
Scheduling
You can request a time through the website or call directly at (970) 251-7500. We ask for at least a 48 hours notice so we can review your property location beforehand.
Colorado Safe Lands is veteran-owned, and based in Crested Butte. All work is performed to NFPA 1140 and Colorado State Forest Service defensible space standards, in alignment with the Gunnison County Community Wildfire Protection Plan.