Preparing mobile home park residents for wildfire in Lake County, Colorado

Abstract

This study explores wildfire risk and preparedness among mobile home park residents in Leadville, Colorado - a town of 2,633 residents within the wildland-urban interface (WUI) of Lake County, Colorado, a region at increasingly high risk for wildfire. Residents in mobile home parks are socially vulnerable to disasters and their manufactured homes are highly susceptible to fire. Although mobile home parks are a critical form of affordable housing, their wildfire risk and their residents’ preparedness for wildfires are understudied. This multi-methods project - conducted in partnership with Leadville/Lake County Fire-Rescue - was designed to address that gap. It involved two primary research activities: First, we used secondary parcel assessment data to identify wildfire risk on mobile home properties in Leadville. Second, we surveyed mobile home residents to identify their wildfire risk mitigation and preparedness needs. Results from the rapid wildfire risk assessments provide clear evidence that mobile home park residences are uniquely vulnerable to wildfire, both due to physical characteristics that are immutable, as well as characteristics that can be addressed through mitigation actions. However, since some of the characteristics driving high wildfire risk to mobile home park communities are either difficult or impossible to change, evacuation preparedness is of heightened importance for mobile home park residents. Respondents reported that mitigation and preparedness information tailored to their homes and residential sites, as well as financial assistance and combustible material disposal options, would help them attain mitigation and preparedness goals.

Citation

Goolsby, Julia B.; Brenkert-Smith, Hannah; Donovan, Colleen; Boyle, Stephen; Wagner, Carolyn; Champ, Patricia; Kuehn, Josh; Wittenbrink, Suzanne. 2024. Preparing mobile home park residents for wildfire in Lake County, Colorado. Boulder, CO: Natural Hazards Center. Online: https://hazards.colorado.edu/quick-response-report/preparing-mobile-home-park-residents-for-wildfire-in-lake-county-colorado.