The town of Larkspur, Colorado—located less than 40 miles from the Waldo Canyon Fire site and in view of the Black Forest Fire burn scar—was recently troubled to learn that it didn’t have a wildfire protection plan.

“I was totally surprised,” said Linda Black, the town’s Program Development Manager. “The fire protection district was shocked. Everybody was surprised.”

For those without experience in small town governance (Larkspur has less than 200 residents) the oversight might seem glaring. But in small towns and municipalities, and even those that are much larger, critical planning can go unaddressed for reasons that range from lack of information to overwhelmed staff to an absence of organizational memory. With all the pressing concerns of keeping a town running from day to day, the capacity to adequately plan for hazards can be elusive.

Enter the Planning for Hazards project, an effort that provides state-specific tools and techniques to help Colorado communities assess their natural hazard risk and address it using land use plans, codes, and standards.