CRYSTAL LAKES FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

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You can also use the above site to look at maps showing the location of recent emergency notifications and evacuation areas.

Sign up to receive news about fire department activities and local events, including fire conditions, fire ban notices, and news about fire activity in the area. Stay informed to stay safe.

Special Notices

2021 CLVFD Summer Education Series

All workshops are free and open to the public. Schedule subject to change. Register for classes using the link below – we’ll contact you a week prior to the class to confirm date/time OR send a Zoom link if we’ve determined the class can’t be safely conducted in person. You must register to receive the Zoom link, which won’t be posted publicly. Email Marian at mkelly@clvfd.org if you need help registering.

Chainsaw Safety – Learn best practices for operating that chainsaw safely and effectively. Class taught by firefighters certified as sawyers by the Forest Service.

Sunday, May 30 1:00 pm Fire Station
Sunday, July 11 1:00 pm Fire Station

Stop the Bleed! – Save a life. Learn the basics of bleeding control, including how to safely and properly apply a tourniquet. Sponsored by the American College of Surgeons, this program is designed to give everyone the tools to help save friends and neighbors when disaster strikes.

Sunday, May 30 3:00 pm Fire Station

(after Chainsaw Safety class)
Saturday, August 28 9:00 am Fire Station

Fire Mitigation in the Home Ignition Zone – Did you know that many of the most effective steps you can take to protect your home are no more arduous than yardwork? Learn what you can do to increase the chances of your property surviving a wildfire.

Sunday, June 13 1:00 pm Fire Station
Sunday, August 15 9:00 am Fire Station
Saturday, September 25 1:00 pm Fire Station

Get Wildfire Smart About Insurance – Learn how insurance really works in a major disaster, what you'll have to do to collect and what you can do now to make sure you have the resources you'll need to start over with no regrets.
Saturday, July 24 1:00 pm Fire Station

Evacuation: How and When to Get Out – Don’t hesitate because you don’t know what to do. Come and learn how to be prepared for an evacuation, how to know when it’s time to go, and what to do when the time comes. Not just Crystal Lakes specific—this information is useful to property owners in any community affected by wildfires.

Saturday, June 26 9:00 am Fire Station
Friday, August 6 1:00 pm Fire Station
Sunday, September 12 1:00 pm Fire Station

Recent Email Notices

Crystal Lakes Volunteer Fire Department

April 25, 2021

Good morning --

May is Wildfire Awareness Month. In our area and especially after last year, I suspect we’re all very well aware that wildfire is a threat to our community. We do all need periodic reminders, however — both that the threat is still present and that there are steps we can take to mitigate that threat.

Last year, the Cameron Peak Fire burned over 208,000 acres and destroyed 461 structures, 224 of them homes. It took 112 days for the fire to be declared 100% contained. As you all know, that included a long period of evacuation for our community, which saw people displaced for weeks. Ultimately, no properties in Crystal Lakes were damaged or destroyed. We were very lucky. However, the conditions that resulted in the fire ultimately passing south of our community also resulted in the thick forest west of Crystal Lakes, with its heavy load of dead and downed trees, remaining a hazard to us. The danger wildfire poses to us is as great as ever, and conditions this summer look likely to be similar to last year.

Now is our time to act. All of us do need to be reminded, not just of the threat of wildfire but the fact that we can lessen that threat, both for ourselves and our community. May is Wildfire Awareness Month — a reminder to take advantage of warming weather, get out on our properties once the snow melts, and take steps to improve the chances that the land we love will survive whatever nature throws at it.

Crystal Lakes VFD offers a variety of resources to help with that effort.

Our summer workshops begin at the end of May, giving anyone interested in attending (member of our community or not) the opportunity to learn about a variety of subjects, from safe use of a chainsaw to mitigation and evacuation to insurance. We’ve increased the number of classes we offer and are working on getting them online to make it easier for people to access this information. In the next week or so, you’ll receive a postcard from us containing the workshop schedule and registration information. This information is also available on the home page of our website, and I’ll be sending a follow-up email with the specifics to make it easy to save and keep track of the information.
Our website includes pages of information and advice on evacuation and mitigation.
We also offer mitigation assessments for those who’d like advice specific to their property. You can sign up here (though we’ll have to wait to perform any assessments until enough snow melts off to make it possible to walk your property and see how the mitigation you’ve done so far looks).

May is Wildfire Awareness month, and we all — property owners, community members, and CLVFD — will have to work together to keep our community safe.

Thanks and stay safe!

Marian Kelly

Assistant Chief

Crystal Lakes Volunteer Fire Department

Practice Wildfire Safety

People start most wildfires - find out how you can promote and practice wildfire safety.

Contact your local fire department, health department, or forestry office for information on fire laws.
Make sure that fire vehicles can get to your home. Clearly mark all driveway entrances and display your name and address.
Report hazardous conditions that could cause a wildfire.
Teach children about fire safety. Keep matches out of their reach.
Post fire emergency telephone numbers.
Ensure adequate accessibility by large fire vehicles to your property.
Plan several escape routes away from your home - by car and by foot.
Talk to your neighbors about wildfire safety. Plan how the neighborhood could work together after a wildfire. Make a list of your neighbors' skills such as medical or technical. Consider how you could help neighbors who have special needs such as elderly or disabled persons. Make plans to take care of children who may be on their own if parents can't get home.

For more information on wildfire safety, visit the U.S. Fire Administration's website.

IN AN EMERGENCY

CALL 9-1-1 FOR ASSISTANCE

Warning Sirens

For the safety of the community, Crystal Lakes Associations has evacuations sirens posted throughout the Association. The evacuation siren in case of failure of the dam is located near the Wapiti Mailsheds to cover the floodplain area and sounds like this whoop sound:

whoop.mp3
MP3 audio file [163.5 KB]

Property owners in the floodplain should evacuate immediately if they hear this siren; all other property owners should remain on their lots, to keep the roads clear for those evacuating the floodplain. Sirens in ALL parts of the association will sound the fire evacuation siren if a wildfire threatens the community -- it sounds like this alert sound:

Alert.mp3
MP3 audio file [168.6 KB]

ALL property owners should evacuate IMMEDIATELY if they hear this siren. Emergency personnel will be on hand to help direct evacuating property owners out of the area.

Where to Find Us:

Crystal Lakes Fire Protection District (CLFPD)

237 Blackfoot Road

Red Feather Lakes, CO 80545

970-881-3521 (Phone)

970-881-2085 (Fax)

clvfd@clvfd.org

Crystal Lakes Volunteer Fire Department (CLVPD)

237 Blackfoot Road

Red Feather Lakes, CO 80545

970-881-3521 (Phone)

970-881-2085 (Fax)

clvfd@clvfd.org

Click here for a map.

How to Contact Us

For more information, feel free to contact us by telephone, email, or by using our contact form. We look forward to hearing from you!

CL FIRES

CL FIRES is dedicated to education, planning, and support in the areas of fire prevention and safety, wildland fire mitigation, and personal safety in the greater Crystal Lakes Community of Larimer County, Colorado.

Click here to join.

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