Fire Free Five


Introduction: Vail Fire and Emergency Services (VFES) is proposing townwide regulations to help property owners protect their structures from the threat of wildfire. Known as Fire Free Five, the proposed regulations would require a five-foot-wide zone of non-combustible landscaping around all buildings in Vail. The regulations would have a compliance phase of three years before enforcement. During the compliance phase a wildfire hazard assessment of every property in Vail would be completed and results shared with the property owner.

Beginning in 2029, and continuing on a rotating basis every three years, each property would be inspected.

What is a Fire Free Five landscape? A Fire Free Five landscape is designed, installed, and maintained in a way that removes combustible landscape materials within five feet of a building to help protect the home or business from ember-based fires, or fires moving along the ground. It is estimated that 90% of homes are destroyed indirectly by wind-borne embers carried ahead of the fire. During a wildfire, embers are lifted into the air and can travel significant distances before falling to the ground. Still hot, they can land on roofs, in gutters, on decks and even stick into your siding. Embers also accumulate near the base of buildings and can ignite dead leaves, trees, shrubs, wood mulch and other combustible landscape materials. A small surface fire can quickly spread into siding, up trees, under eaves and onto the structure.

This property created a five-foot zone of non-combustible materials.This property survived the 2020 East Troublesome Fire because of the five-foot non-combustible zone.


Resources: Fire Free Five Landscape Guide

Background: In 2022, the Vail Town Council created a Community Assistance Program to help defray the costs of voluntarily implementing Fire Free Five landscaping. This program reimburses property owners 75% of actual costs of materials and labor; property owners provide a minimum 25% cash match.

Participation in the Community Assistance Program was initially strong; however, it has faded in the three years of its existence. Of the 559 wildfire property inspections Vail Fire completed in 2024, 84% of the properties had at least one item identified within their Fire Free Five that needed to be addressed.

Resources: Community Assistance Program

Why Now: Fires are 248% faster than in 2000.

  • 20 of the largest fires in Colorado history occurred since 2001
  • 16 of the 20 largest fires have occurred since 2008
  • 11 of the 20 largest fires have occurred since 2015
  • 9 of the 20 largest fires have occurred since 2018
  • 4 of the five largest fires have occurred since 2020

A new concern is the near tripling of fire activity in high elevation environments such as Vail. This rapid acceleration of wildfire threat fundamentally changes the way we need to think about and prepare for inevitable wildfire in the Vail Valley. Wildfire risk data compiled by national experts shows all of Vail with significant exposure to the risks of wildfire.

Recommendation: Adopt a mandatory Fire Free Five ordinance for all structures that would require the implementation and ongoing maintenance of the most critical zone of defensible space around every structure in the Town of Vail.

Beginning in the summer of 2029 and continuing on a rotating basis every three years each property would be inspected, and non-compliant properties would be addressed utilizing the Town’s established abatement process in the municipal court.


Introduction: Vail Fire and Emergency Services (VFES) is proposing townwide regulations to help property owners protect their structures from the threat of wildfire. Known as Fire Free Five, the proposed regulations would require a five-foot-wide zone of non-combustible landscaping around all buildings in Vail. The regulations would have a compliance phase of three years before enforcement. During the compliance phase a wildfire hazard assessment of every property in Vail would be completed and results shared with the property owner.

Beginning in 2029, and continuing on a rotating basis every three years, each property would be inspected.

What is a Fire Free Five landscape? A Fire Free Five landscape is designed, installed, and maintained in a way that removes combustible landscape materials within five feet of a building to help protect the home or business from ember-based fires, or fires moving along the ground. It is estimated that 90% of homes are destroyed indirectly by wind-borne embers carried ahead of the fire. During a wildfire, embers are lifted into the air and can travel significant distances before falling to the ground. Still hot, they can land on roofs, in gutters, on decks and even stick into your siding. Embers also accumulate near the base of buildings and can ignite dead leaves, trees, shrubs, wood mulch and other combustible landscape materials. A small surface fire can quickly spread into siding, up trees, under eaves and onto the structure.

This property created a five-foot zone of non-combustible materials.This property survived the 2020 East Troublesome Fire because of the five-foot non-combustible zone.


Resources: Fire Free Five Landscape Guide

Background: In 2022, the Vail Town Council created a Community Assistance Program to help defray the costs of voluntarily implementing Fire Free Five landscaping. This program reimburses property owners 75% of actual costs of materials and labor; property owners provide a minimum 25% cash match.

Participation in the Community Assistance Program was initially strong; however, it has faded in the three years of its existence. Of the 559 wildfire property inspections Vail Fire completed in 2024, 84% of the properties had at least one item identified within their Fire Free Five that needed to be addressed.

Resources: Community Assistance Program

Why Now: Fires are 248% faster than in 2000.

  • 20 of the largest fires in Colorado history occurred since 2001
  • 16 of the 20 largest fires have occurred since 2008
  • 11 of the 20 largest fires have occurred since 2015
  • 9 of the 20 largest fires have occurred since 2018
  • 4 of the five largest fires have occurred since 2020

A new concern is the near tripling of fire activity in high elevation environments such as Vail. This rapid acceleration of wildfire threat fundamentally changes the way we need to think about and prepare for inevitable wildfire in the Vail Valley. Wildfire risk data compiled by national experts shows all of Vail with significant exposure to the risks of wildfire.

Recommendation: Adopt a mandatory Fire Free Five ordinance for all structures that would require the implementation and ongoing maintenance of the most critical zone of defensible space around every structure in the Town of Vail.

Beginning in the summer of 2029 and continuing on a rotating basis every three years each property would be inspected, and non-compliant properties would be addressed utilizing the Town’s established abatement process in the municipal court.

Page last updated: 25 Jun 2025, 10:07 AM