This year, thanks to a grant from the Colorado State Forest Service, SPAWP is offering 150 free Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) assessments to homeowners across our seven-county service area — Huerfano, Las Animas, Costilla, Pueblo, Custer, Fremont, and Teller.
Each assessment pairs a homeowner with a trained SPAWP specialist who walks the property, evaluates its wildfire vulnerability zone by zone, and leaves them with a written, prioritized action plan. There’s no cost, no membership requirement, and no obligation — just a clear starting point for making a home more resilient.
Where things stand: Assessments are underway and being scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Because this is funded by a single-year grant, slots are limited — when demand exceeds capacity, we maintain a waitlist and prioritize higher-risk properties. If you’ve been thinking about signing up, sooner is better.
Why it matters: Research from CSFS and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety shows that most homes lost to wildfire ignite not from a wall of flame, but from embers finding small vulnerabilities — a debris-filled gutter, an unscreened vent, mulch against the foundation. An assessment helps homeowners find and fix those weak points before a fire ever starts.
Ready to get started? Learn more and request your free assessment on our Home Ignition Zone Assessments page.