NoFloCo is a good neighbor
My husband and I were blessed to move to Teller County two and a half years ago and wanted to get to know our neighbors and become involved in our community, so we attended our first Indian Creek Property Owners Association (ICPOA) meeting and were introduced to NoFloCo.
When I showed up for my first project with NoFloCo I found I was placed in a specific group, I was guided in safety, such as listening for the whistles of the certified sawyers, making eye contact with them and signaling that I am aware a see where they are felling a tree. I was pleased to learn that the sawyers were trained and certified. In the safety briefing we were warned not to assist the property owner in burning the piles of slash, that it was their responsibility to get a permit and to burn themselves, should they choose to do so. NoFloCo could no longer assist with burning due to a county ordinance. We have not burned since my husband and I have been involved.
I was uncertain about how much help I could be but remembered Don Moore telling us if all you can do is pick up sticks, then pick up sticks. So I picked up sticks. I have witnessed how happy and thankful our neighbors were to receive help. I watched one senior gentleman with a walker sit on his front porch and watch as we cleared his property of dead brush and trees. It is really a good feeling to know that you are working together with your neighbors to help one another improve our properties and reduce the risk of wildfire damage.
We also attended classes, such as the Home Hardening class, being taught by Don Moore, our NoFloCo leader, educating us on the issues of living in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and the risk of being affected by wildfires that is inherent in living here. We learned that more than half of Colorado residents live in the WUI. Don shared information from material from the Colorado State Forest Service. We were taught specific tasks we could do to “harden” our homes again the risk of wildfire.
We are so thankful for all that Don and Toni do leading NoFloCo in helping our community. They continue to learn and to teach us as they do. We are very surprised by the opposition and frankly the misinformation that is being spread. We hope we are able to continue to make a positive difference making our neighborhood safer. I encourage everyone to come join us, get to know your neighbors, have some fun, and pick up sticks!
Debbie Whitted, Florissant
Support of NoFloCo by community member:
I first learned about NoFloCo from my neighbors who had Don and Toni Moore come to their house and evaluate their property for fire mitigation. Once I heard how a group of people came out for FREE and helped get rid of forest debris plus other fuel that would feed a wildfire, I wanted to be a part of this group.
I attended a work session where I was on “stick pickup.” The welcoming atmosphere and camaraderie of this group of people was contagious! I loved being outside and doing something helpful and worthwhile for others. It made me very happy to see people working together for a common goal – to help save our neighborhoods from burning down as a result of wildfires. To see the gratitude and thankfulness of the homeowners was even more rewarding. Most of the homeowners we have helped either can’t do most of the work themselves, or they can’t afford to pay thousands of dollars to have professionals come out and mitigate their property.
I have been fortunate to attend (thanks to a grant that Toni obtained) the Colorado Fire Camp in Salida where I received, for free, 32 hours of basic training: S-130 Firefighter Training, S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior, and L-180 Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service. During this course, we were able to learn about how wildfires move and spread as well as how to shelter ourselves in case we were caught in the middle of a wildfire. The field day and shelter deployment were incredibly useful!
The best part of NoFloCo for me is the training, helping others in the area with clearing their properties of ladder fuel and dead trees, and making new friends. Plus, some mighty fine cooks provide food after we complete a project while we have a summary meeting of what was accomplished. It feels great to be part of such a positive, helpful organization, and I am honored and blessed to be a member of the NoFloCo Fire Mitigation Posse.
I am extremely distressed by the recent “cease and desist” order by “Fire Marshall” Mikesell banning the group’s work in Teller County. I don’t understand why he is so against something helpful, beneficial for many, and healthy for our homes and neighborhoods. Not being able to get outside and being productive by helping others protect their homes is a very low blow for me. It’s almost like being shot for no reason. I would strongly encourage Sheriff or Fire Marshall Mikesell to attend a NoFloCo activity and see for himself the good this group is doing instead of shutting us down without even knowing the scope and sequence of our activities.
Jody A. Rodine, Florissant
Great experience with NoFloCo
We want to share our experiences with NoFloCo. We moved (back) to CO Sept 2024. We bought our dream retirement home in Teller County. We had received notice from our insurance company that some work needed to be done on our property in order to get/keep our home insurance. The words “Fire Mitigation” were foreign to us at the time. The insurance company sent us a 16-page email with lists of items that needed attention.
We ended up meeting Don. He welcomed us to the neighborhood. He had done a site assessment of our home for the previous owners and knew it well. He told us what we needed to do to get the land up to code, and it matched the insurance company’s findings. We had been waiting for weeks to get a private business to take the pine tree down. We were quoted over $3,000 (just for the tree felling). NoFloCo came to our home and removed a 45ft pine tree, for FREE. Being on a fixed income in retirement, it was priceless. We used the wood to heat our home. They made a bench out of the largest portion so we can watch the sun set on our property.
It took us a few weeks to get all the other fire mitigation work done. The insurance company did another site visit and not only approved our home insurance, they decreased it by over $2,000/year!!
We have since then joined NoFloCo as volunteers to help others. We attended the NoFloCo University Class and learned how to keep our home from becoming a tinder box. We are so happy to be a part of NoFloCo Mitigation Posse. We enjoy the camaraderie and meeting new friends while helping others.
Heidi & Thomas Holmes, Teller County