Wildland Division
PILE BURNING SEASON IS OPEN FOR GLFPD
Please have a safe and productive burn season
The general conditions of the permit are as follows:
Pile Burn permits are issued through Grand County Government.
Pile burn season is only during winter/spring months with the approved snowpack condition within
Grand Lake Fire District as approved by the Fire Chief.The burn season will only remain open when there is sufficient snowpack within Grand Lake Fire District.
The permit must be on-site with the individual supervising the burn.
A permit is required if your pile(s) exceed campfire size, 3 ft. x 3 ft. x 3 ft.
The burn area will be attended at all times while flames are present.
Piles must fully be extinguished by the following morning
Approval must be given by Grand County Natural Resources (GCNR) for ignition on a daily basis during the burn season, please check GCNR webpage daily.
Permits must be applied for by the property owner
Inspection of piles may be required by GCNR prior to the permit being issued.
Hazardous or toxic materials or construction debris cannot be burned in an open burn pile - only untreated wood is permitted in a burn pile.
It is recommended that pile sizes not be larger than 15 ft x 15 ft x 10 ft to allow for maximum opportunity to burn but there is no set maximum size.
Piles and material in piles should be dried for a minimum of one year prior to ignition unless you are piling already dead material. Large diameter material (greater than 6 inches in diameter) cannot exceed 30% of the pile density.
Stumps and/or dirt are not permitted in open burn piles
Homeowner association (HOA) regulations take primacy over county regulations.
Any of the above conditions not met shall render the burn permit null and void and enforcement action by Grand County and possibly the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment can result.
Meet Wildland Coordinator Brain Faith
Brian joined the fire service as a Fire Explorer within the Boy Scouts of America / Sayville Fire Department. Starting his fire service path as a wildland firefighter in 2000-2007 with Rocky Mountain National Park and his volunteer fire service path with Estes Valley Fire in Estes Park Colorado in 2001-2007 & 2011-2018. From 2007-2019 Brian has worked with the USFS / BLM / NPS wildland divisions on Engine Modules, Helicopter Modules, Wildland Fire Modules, Type 2 IA hand crews, and Two (IHC) Hotshot crews as well as affiliations with Montrose Fire Department, Custer Fire Department, Los Alamos Fire Department, where he held positions as Firefighter, Senior Firefighter, Lieutenant, Assistant Fire Chief, Wildland Instructor.
Brian holds the following qualifications: NWCG Incident Commander Type 4, Task Force/ Strike team Leader, and Engine Boss. He has Colorado State Fire DFPC qualifications as a Firefighter type 1, Hazmat Operations, and Dive International Ice Rescuer. He has completed college degrees in Environmental Science, Wildland Fire Management and currently enrolled in the Fire Science program at the University of New Mexico. Brian joined Grand Lake Fire Protection district in March 2020 as the Wildland Coordinator. He lives in Grand Lake and has two sons.
Grand Lake Fire’s wildland division provides free Wildland Fire home and property inspections and is responsible for the implementation of wildland fire mitigation services including vegetation removal and chipping programs. We provide Wildland Fire public education events and wildland fire trainings to the members of GLFPD and our partnership agencies. Wildland Coordinator Faith coordinates with other Grand County and State wildland fire divisions on wildland fire preparedness, mitigation, education, trainings, and response to and suppression of wildland fires. He also works with the Grand County Wildfire Council and the Grand County Zone Wildland Fire Training Board.
Wildland Fire Response and Deployments
Grand Lake Fire’s Wildland Division provides wildland fire suppression actions and holds leadership roles within the GLFPD as their primary objective is response to wildland fires and smoke reports in the GLFPD and Mutual aid response area. The Wildland Division is also responsible for national deployments and support to wildland fire and all hazard incidents as part of a national resource. They support enforcement of wildland fire restrictions and fire bans in our response area.
Helpful Links
Mitigation Services
Every year, wildfires burn across the United States, and a growing number of people are living where wildfires are a real risk. The Wildland Fire Mitigation program provides information and resources about steps you can take to reduce the risk of a wildfire consuming your property. It includes assessing the risks around your property, recognizing the wildfire dangers and your responsibility in mitigating them, thereby creating a defensible space. Grand Lake Fire offers a number of mitigation services to homeowners and businesses within our district.
Free wildland fire, home, & property inspections
Tree, vegetation, & slash removal from property
Pile burning
Chipping programs
Free public education on wildfire preparedness to HOAs, schools, and other community groups
Make your home safer from embers and radiant heat:
Clean roofs & gutters of dead leaves, debris and pine needles that could catch embers.
Cover exterior attic vents with metal wire mesh no larger than 1/8 inch to prevent sparks from entering the home.
Repair or replace damaged or loose window screens and any broken windows.
Screen or box-in areas below patios and decks with wire mesh to prevent debris and combustible materials from accumulating.
Move any flammable material away from wall exteriors - mulch, flammable plants, leaves and needles, firewood piles - anything that can burn.
Remove anything stored underneath decks or porches.
GLFPD Wildland Fire Property Assessment Program
The time is now to start planning for the next wildland fire season and the best thing a property owner and or an HOA can do is take proactive steps to create defensible space on their property. Our Wildland Division Coordinator can conduct individual home assessments to evaluate your wildland fire risk and hazard and to provide wildfire information for homeowner's associations and events.
Are you a FireWise HOA community in the Grand Lake Fire District? If not lets, make you one in 2023!
Contact our Wildland Division Coordinator Brian Faith to have a tour of your property or HOA (a residential property assessment will take approximately one hour)
