Larimer County webinar urges sign-up for local alerts, home mitigation and pet plans ahead of wildfire season

Camille, a staff member at the Larimer County Office of Emergency Management, and Josh, from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office emergency services unit, led a webinar Tuesday afternoon advising local residents on evacuation preparedness, the county’s alert systems and home mitigation steps.

Larimer County receives more federally declared disasters than any other Colorado county (29 declarations, the presenters said), and staff emphasized that recent “mega fires” — defined in the webinar as wildfires larger than 1,000 acres — and fast-moving fire behavior make early alerts and planning critical for residents.

The webinar’s central recommendation was that residents register for Larimer County’s local alert system, NoCoAlert, and understand how it differs from federal systems such as IPAWS and wireless emergency alerts (WEA). Camille said NoCoAlert is an opt-in local product that will reach people by the contact information they register; landlines are automatically included in NoCoAlert but cell phones are included only if a resident signs up. By contrast, WEA messages (for example Amber alerts or national tests) are broadcast to phones by carrier and do not require sign-up.

"If you aren't signed up, you are not reaching or we are not able to reach you in local alerts and warnings," Camille said. She added: "The time to make a preparedness bag is not during a mandatory evacuation. When it is issued, there is no time. You must move immediately." The presenters urged residents to treat voluntary evacuations as an opportunity to leave early if they have mobility, transport or large-animal concerns.

Speakers described how local evacuations are implemented in Larimer County: a fire report is routed through dispatch to the appropriate fire district and, for unincorporated areas, to the sheriff’s office emergency services. Emergency staff use pre‑identified evacuation polygons on county maps to issue voluntary or mandatory orders. Door‑to‑door notifications by deputies occur only when it is safe for first responders to do so. Josh described the polygon process and encouraged residents to request a property assessment through the county’s Wildfire Partners program, which provides a no‑cost home visit and written recommendations.

The webinar covered several practical preparedness topics: building a 72‑hour go bag while aiming toward a one‑week sustainability plan; keeping duplicate chargers and a small cooler for refrigerated medicines; making digital and physical copies of important documents; and pet planning (crate, food, medication and proof of vaccinations). Camille recommended storing documents in multiple ways (cloud, flash drive and printed copies) and flagged a library-based AmeriCorps “digital navigators” program that can help residents scan and store documents. She also noted that American Red Cross shelters are required to provide refrigeration for medications.

On home mitigation, Josh presented the home ignition‑zone framework the county promotes: Zone 1 (0–5 feet), Zone 2 (5–30 feet) and Zone 3 (30–100 feet). He said reducing flammable materials and creating defensible space in those zones increases a home’s chance of surviving a wildfire. Camille and Josh showed examples of properties that survived large fires after mitigation and said mitigation typically returns several dollars in benefit for every dollar spent.

Presenters also answered attendee questions in chat. One commenter identified as Tom (described during the webinar as the former mayor of Superior) suggested that families with multiple vehicles move some cars to safe locations during a voluntary evacuation to reduce traffic during a later mandatory evacuation; Camille called that “an excellent point.” Camille and Josh said the webinar was recorded, that the county will post the recording and documents to its website, and that registrants will receive an email with links and resources.

The webinar closed with five practical, prioritized steps presented by Camille: (1) register for emergency alerts for places you live, work and recreate; (2) identify multiple evacuation routes; (3) build and regularly check an evacuation kit; (4) harden the home following the home ignition‑zone guidance; and (5) include family and neighbors in evacuation plans.

No formal actions or votes were taken during the webinar; it was an informational presentation and question‑and‑answer session. Camille and Josh directed attendees to county resources (Wildfire Partners program, NoCoAlert sign‑up) for follow up.