West Region Wildfire Council outlines mitigation gains in Montrose County and seeks new partnerships

Tim Pinnau, CEO of the West Region Wildfire Council, told the Montrose County Board of County Commissioners at its Nov. 3 work session that the council has completed hundreds of site visits, rapid risk assessments and mitigation projects in the county and is pursuing additional funding and partnership work for 2026.

"We can come out and look at your property. We will tell you what you need to do in order to mitigate it, to create defensible space around your home," Pinnau said, describing the council’s site‑visit, vegetation‑management and Wildfire Ready Home certification programs. He said the Wildfire Ready Home certification is recognized under new state law and can help homeowners maintain insurance coverage and could improve resale value.

Pinnau told the board the council has conducted more than 1,300 rapid risk assessments and 101 site visits in Montrose County, treated over 1,300 acres and completed 56 local projects. He said aggregated mitigation funding in Montrose totals more than $275,000, with landowners contributing about $200,000 in matching funds and roughly $43,000 in in‑kind contributions. Pinnau cited national and federal cost‑savings figures to argue that mitigation spending reduces suppression and recovery costs.

He described a range of planned activity for 2026, including a Greater San Miguel Watershed grant focused on the West End and potential partnerships with the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to prioritize Rim and adjacent private lands. Pinnau also said the council is training Wildfire Ready Home assessors and is pursuing grants to fund no‑cost site visits for low‑ and moderate‑income homeowners.

During questions, commissioners and property owners praised the council’s work. One homeowner who used the cost‑share program described rapid reimbursement and said mitigation created a defensible space that later served incident commanders during a subsequent fire. Commissioners pressed the council on coordination with state foresters, watershed and debris‑flow concerns, and on how new state code requirements will affect homeowner costs; Pinnau said code changes will likely shift some financial burden to property owners while the council continues to provide technical support.

Pinnau asked the county to consider partnering on future grant submissions to expand work on CWPP priorities and the board discussed next steps for county collaboration and outreach.