Public and trustees press Open Space staff on wildfire readiness after Los Angeles fires

Public commenters and multiple trustees used the Jan. 15 Open Space Board of Trustees meeting to press staff on wildfire preparedness following large-blaze activity in Los Angeles.

Giles Trotter, a frequent public commenter, told the board that recent California wildfires and evacuations of family members highlight the community’s vulnerability and urged faster progress on wildfire resilience. “How much safer is Boulder today than 6 years ago or 3 years ago?” he asked, urging clarity on the criteria OSMP will use to prioritize Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) recommendations.

Trustee remarks and staff response followed public comment. Several trustees said they wanted clearer public-facing information and faster implementation. Trustee Michelle (chair) noted OSMP had secured climate-fund dollars to hire staff focused on a five-year wildfire resilience action plan and said the board will get an update in April on that plan. OSMP staff described an interdepartmental wildfire executive team, a cross-department core team of practitioners, and an inventory effort that will map roughly 300 action items from existing plans to identify gaps and implementation responsibilities.

Staff acknowledged that some prevention activities — such as changes to building codes and planning board actions — sit outside OSMP’s charter and therefore require interagency cooperation. Staff also said community members have a role to play in ignition prevention and urged residents to use available home-assessment services and outreach resources. The board and staff said they will compile a gap analysis and come back with an update in April rather than a final plan.

No formal votes or policy adoptions related to wildfire occurred at the meeting; trustees requested further updates and said they want to review prioritization criteria when staff returns with the April update.