How a Colorado Community Mitigate Fire Risk While Lowering Home Insurance Premiums

In a after the Marshall fire in Coloradoeven suburban communities are hyper-aware of the risk of fire and the resulting increase in insurance costs.

But as Douglas County grows, new communities are being designed with fire risks in mind.

“We used to have fire season, and now it’s wildfire season all the time,” said Jessica Towles, director of community experience for Sterling Ranch.

In its past five years, the new master-planned community of Sterling Ranch has not experienced a major fire, but it is not complacent.

“It’s really a year-round process to ensure the safety of our residents,” Towles said.

The community is in northwest Douglas County and is surrounded by prairie.

“When you look at the Douglas County wildfire overlay map, you see a lot of orange and red around Sterling Ranch, and then you see this island of safety because of the protocols we have in place in the process construction,” Towles said.

But Towles says the community was designed to mitigate fire risks, from requiring fire-resistant materials in home construction to prioritizing native plants and defensible spaces in landscaping guidelines.

“So you have this protection zone that we want to be at least 10 feet from the house,” Towles said, pointing to the space between a neighboring house and any foliage. “They don't build wood decks, they use Trex. which is not going to be a match in the yard,” Towles said.

Sterling Ranch partnered with Douglas County Emergency Management, South Metro Fire and consultants to design its grassland management plan. They take steps to reduce fuels throughout the year.

“We mow these areas several times a year. We mow what we call beauty strips on either side of the trails to create fire breaks,” Towles said.

This also includes allow livestock to graze in open spaces.

Firebreaks and evacuation routes are constructed in the community while the Douglas County Fire Suppression Helicopter is stored nearby during the summer months.

The community educates homeowners on how they can create defensible space and landscape their own yard.

Towles says all of these steps earned the community the best possible “public protection classification” from the Insurance Services Bureau.

This note is taken into account by insurers to determine premiums.

“We're well protected here in our community, and that translates into people's wallets when they look at their home insurance,” Towles said.

No matter where you live, you can take steps to mitigate the risk of fire in your home, such as landscaping your yard or contacting your local fire department about a fire mitigation plan.