Wildfire Adapted Partnership
Wildfire Adapted Partnerships (WAP) inspires, educates, and enables individuals and communities to protect lives and property from wildfire.
What We Do
Wildfire Adapted Partnership works with our neighbors and agency partners to create wildfire adapted communities. We assist local residents in creating defensible space, planning wildfire evacuations, and preparing for wildfire on the neighborhood level through education and grant opportunities offered through Wildfire Adapted programs.
The videos below feature WAP representatives and explore how to reduce your home and community’s wildfire risk.
Donate Today
Wildfire Adapted Partnership is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization. We rely on grants and donations to continue offering free wildfire education and mitigation programs. Please consider donating today to continue this important work in southwest Colorado.
Upcoming Workshops
To check out all the upcoming events, please click here to view the WAP calendar.
Our Programs
Wildfire Adapted Partnership is a grassroots organization dedicated to helping homeowners understand their wildfire risk and what they can do to reduce that risk. We offer a variety of incentive programs to support residents with slash removal and their planning and mitigation efforts. Some programs are open to all residents in the five-county area of Southwest Colorado and others are only for our Neighborhood Ambassadors and their communities.
Homeowner Grant Opportunity
Ready to improve your home’s defenses against wildfire? If you own land in the area of County Roads 240, 243, 245, or the City of Durango you can get a free wildfire risk assessment and take advantage of first come first serve grant funding that can match up to 50% of the cost to improve our ecosystem health and decrease your properties risk.
Click here to sign up for a free wildfire risk site assessment and begin the process.
get involved
WAP relies on our coordinators, partners, and volunteers. If you are interested in supporting us by being more involved, consider becoming a volunteer and/or donating. Contact your local coordinator today for more information.
Contact Your County Coordinator
Wildfire Adapted Partnership coordinators are here to help you get started in your wildfire preparedness activities. Contact yours today.
Volunteer Opportunities
Make a difference in your community and become a Neighborhood Ambassador today! Ambassadors get access to Wildfire Adapted Partners and grant opportunities.
Make a Donation
As a nonprofit orgainization, we rely on grants and donations to keep our programs running. Become a donating Wildfire Adapted Partner today!
Click here for the full CSFS Low-Flammability Plant Guide
April 24, 2024
NFPA Press Release: Wildfire Prep Day 2024
April 22, 2024
Wildfire Mitigation Fair on May 4
April 16, 2024
Listed are a few links to resources for following wildfire locations and activity. WAP understands that it can be difficult to keep track of the wildfires that affect us, and we hope that this resource will help guide you to the information that you are looking for. Residents are encouraged to sign up for Code Red or Nixle alerts. These alert systems give you localized, timely, and important emergency alerts to your phone and email such as when to evacuate, even if you’re not home. If you still need additional support, please contact us, and we will do our best to assist you.
Adapting to Wildfire in Southwest Colorado
The Story of Wildfire Adapted Partnership and the Communities We Support
Our Beginning
Wildfire Adapted Partnership (WAP) began in 2003 as FireWise of Southwest Colorado after the Missionary Ridge Fire north of Durango. While the name has changed, we are the same organization, and our mission, programs, and partnerships remain the same. We are a grassroots organization dedicated to helping homeowners understand their wildfire risk and what they can do to reduce that risk.
Wildfire Adapted Partnership has part-time coordinators assisting Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, and San Juan Counties. We are also proud to have 146 Volunteer Neighborhood Ambassadors who are the backbone of our organization. We work closely with a variety of partners including the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS), United States Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Offices of Emergency Management (OEM), and local Fire Protection Districts. We are a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization.
Accomplishments
In 2023, WAP upheld the mission by assisting 117 communities in 5 counties. Our programs reimbursed 51% of total project costs to homeowners which supported local fire mitigation contractors and helped treat 867 acres. A special thank you to our 157 Ambassadors and their communities who dedicated about 20,775 volunteer hours! Click here for WAP's 2023 Accomplishments or view a full list of WAP’s past accomplishments here.
April 2024 E-News
March 2024 E-News
February 2024 E-News
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