“Please read it. Know where your house is, know the name of that plan unit."”

– Golden Gate Fire Chief Kyle Benson

GOLDEN GATE CANYON — A nearly two-year update of Golden Gate’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is officially wrapped after the Fire Protection District board approved and adopted it last week.

The CWPP update was shepherded by Fort Collins-based consultant The Ember Alliance. The nonprofit started their work in March 2024. After “extensive” community engagement and sign-offs from Jefferson County and the Colorado State Forest Service, the last step was approval by the Golden Gate Fire Protection District (GGFPD) board of directors.

They took that step Thursday, January 22, with a unanimous vote to approve and adopt the 183-page plan

“In going through the CWPP, honestly, I’ve only gotten halfway so far,” board president Deb Curlee joked. Thanking Fire Chief Kyle Kociemba-Benson for his work on the update, she said, “It’s a beautiful document.”

Benson urged community members to familiarize themselves with the CWPP, paying particular attention to the different geographic sub areas, known as plan units. Within Golden Gate, there are 11, with varying degrees of fire risk:

• Drew Hill / Geneva Glen (Extreme)

• Upper Crawford Gulch (Extreme)

• Upper Canyon (Very High)

• Guy Hill (Very High)

• Lower Crawford Gulch (Very High)

• White Ranch Open Space (Very High)

• Robinson Hill (High)

• Douglas Mountain (High)

• Lower Canyon (High)

• Centennial Cone Open Space (Moderate)

• Mt. Galbraith Open Space (Moderate)

“Please read it,” Benson urged the public. “Know where your house is, know the name of that plan unit: You will be evacuated by the name of the plan unit.”

As the plan points out, even areas with a moderate fire risk can still experience devastating fires.

“Most residents within GGFPD are exposed to elevated fire danger due to topography and fuels in this part of Colorado,” the plan reads, “and should take recommended actions in this CWPP seriously.”

Find the full plan at bit.ly/GGFirePlan.

More plans ahead

Benson also said he intends to craft a “simple and digestible” strategic plan for the district to guide the next five years of operations and investments.

“We’ve done a lot of really incredible things over the past three years,” he said, “but there are quite a few things in our future we need to bring attention to.”

Benson did not share a timeline for introduction of a strategic plan. 

A more concrete plan for 2026 is to replace the aging Engine 81, now 28 years old. “It is on its very last legs,” Benson said.

Pile burning season

Benson also urged caution when it comes to companies advertising controlled and pile burns for private properties. None were mentioned by name, but the chief said ads on a local Facebook page were concerning.

“It is the landowner’s responsibility to make sure any contractor is fully certified and insured,” Benson said, adding that he would be “very surprised if anybody in the contracting world in this area is certified and insured to do so.”

“If you have a burn go out of control on your property, you will be held 100% liable for everything.”

In addition to permits and inspections, Benson reminded the public that property owners need to have an averagee of four inches of snow around the area to be burnt. Those conditions were likely to be met with the weekend storm, he noted.

“We’ll officially be in pile burn season if we get that sizeable snow,” he said.

The district itself plans three slash events this year: the first at the Golden Gate Grange (25201 Golden Gate Canyon Road) in early June; a second in July or August at Station 82 (7181 Crawford Gulch Road), and a third at Station 81 (32360 Robinson Hill Road) the first week of October.

2025 wrap-up

GGFPD finished the year in a good financial standing, with revenue exceeding expenses by $57,899. Combined with earnings from interest, the district ended 2025 with $75,833 in net income. 

Golden Gate fielded 101 calls during 2025, maintaining an average response time of 16 minutes or less from dispatch to arrival, according to Benson’s report. 

December’s windstorm made for the district’s busiest week of the year: 10 calls within 48 hours, a heavy rescue, a backcountry rescue, “many downed wires,” and “several near miss wildland fire starts.”

Benson credited an unnamed resident for preventing a “catastrophic” wildfire by reporting a downed line in contact with trees. 

It was “actually combusting” Benson said. “That homeowner single-handedly saved their entire neighborhood.”

The next meeting of the GGCFPD is Thursday, February 26 at 6:30 p.m. The public can attend in person at the Golden Gate Grange (25201 Golden Gate Canyon Road) or online. Visit goldengatefire.colorado.gov/meetings for details and meeting links.