NEDERLAND - On Saturday, April 26, 2025, at the Nederland Community Center, one of the largest energy providers to the Front Range, Xcel Energy, hosted the Peak to Peak Safety Fair.

Up to 20 different non-profit organizations and commercial businesses participated, all serving in the realm of wildfire protection, management, and preparedness.

Zoe DeVito, Senior Wildfire Community Engagement Manager for Xcel Energy, greeted attendees at the door, donning a novelty hard hat while excitedly highlighting the room full of information, data, and resources for community members to be aware and prepared in the event of a wildfire emergency.

Outside in the community center’s parking lot, residents and visitors could spot Four Mile Fire Protection District’s shining fire truck and chat with Fire Chief Bret Gibson about his organization.

Right next to Four Mile’s engine was the equally impressive sight of FLXX Fire-Foe’s truck, which was hauling one of their 3,500 gallon cisterns, a crucial wildfire-fighting tool that can be installed on personal property.

Inside, the community center’s main meeting hall was packed with tables for the several entities in attendance, each presenting its own educational demonstrations, providing useful, life-saving information, and giving away fun and practical gifts.    

Wildfire Partners and Boulder Watershed Collective were both present for the Safety Fair, with their representatives speaking to the crowd about their partnership with the Town of Nederland to offer free home hardening and defensible space services over the summer to residents in the Old Town and Big Springs neighborhoods.

Members of TEENS, Inc.’s Youth Corps, their productive and popular summer employment and conservation program for area youth, will also be assisting in these efforts, and were also present at the Safety Fair to promote their organization and their work in providing mitigation. 

To schedule a visit to your home to ascertain whether you are eligible for these services, contact Julien, at julien@boulderwatershedcollective.org, or Ellie estanton@bouldercounty.gov.

Boulder Disaster Management was present, offering information on pedestrian evacuation preparedness, equine preparedness, power outage preparedness, and pet preparedness.

Animal Help Now showcased their Pet Help and Rescue phone app (www.phar.org), which was created after the Marshall Fire to be used to locate or arrange care for your pets in the event of a wildfire. 

The Center for People with Disabilities provided information about their upcoming Access & Functional Needs Workshop, designed to teach disaster preparedness basics to “individuals with access and functional needs, caregivers, and community members who want to be prepared before a disaster strikes.”

To attend this workshop, reach out to Director of Public Policy Craig Towler at 720-340-2288, or at craig@cpwd.org. 

Information on home hardening and creating defensible spaces was offered by Colorado State Forest Service and Colorado State University Extension. Material on replacing assistive technology after an emergency, as well as planning for power outages, was handed out by CU Center for Inclusive Design and Engineering.

Dan Maedke was at the Safety Fair presenting information from Gold Hill about various activities happening in June, including volunteer opportunities for home hardening work (with a partnership between TEENS, Inc. and Wildfire Partners), a grassland mitigation project to feature a small herd of goats, and a Sunset Trail Running Race sponsored by Boulder Watershed Collective.

For more information on what’s going on in Gold Hill, contact Maedke at: ghtownmeeting@gmail.com; to participate in the race, set for June 22, contact: www.teamboco.com/#/sunsettraitrunningfestival/.

Wild Bear Nature Center, Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, the Salvation Army, United Policyholders, Via mobility services, Go Electric Colorado, and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety were also featured at the Safety Fair.

Downstairs, the Backdoor Theater presented repeated showings of a film from Fireforest, a long-term multimedia project in Colorado with the aim to highlight forest restoration after wildfires.

Xcel Energy provided free Go Bags and document protectors along with pamphlets on reducing wildfire risk, emergency preparedness, power line awareness, enhanced power line safety settings as a wildfire mitigation tool, and on their own wildfire mitigation plan.

They also included information on a free online course for residents to learn about hazard identification, safe response tactics, and emergency procedures. Those who are interested can enroll for the free course at www.xcelenergy.e-smartresponders.com.

Xcel Energy will also be at the next Nederland Human Services Fair, to take place on May 22 at the Nederland Food Pantry at 196 West 1st Street, where they will be giving away free emergency weather alert radios.