Highlands Ranch to host free wildfire preparedness session June 9

Highlands Ranch homeowners who have not updated evacuation routes, pet plans or home defenses will have a chance to get answers Tuesday evening at a free wildfire education session at the Highlands Ranch Senior Center, 200 E. Highlands Ranch Parkway. The meeting runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and is designed to help residents prepare before smoke, restrictions or an evacuation order arrives.

The Highlands Ranch Metro District announced the session June 3 as part of a broader push to keep wildfire safety in focus year-round. In Douglas County, that message carries particular weight: the county says wildfires are its most prominent natural disaster, and many homes face significant risk because of vegetation and relatively remote, private settings. County officials also say wildfire mitigation is not a one-time fix, but an ongoing effort that requires residents to keep working on their properties and plans.

Speakers are expected from the Highlands Ranch Metro District, the Douglas County Office of Emergency Management, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, South Metro Fire Rescue, Highlands Ranch Water and the Highlands Ranch Community Association. That mix points to a session built around practical questions, including how local agencies coordinate, what homeowners can do around their properties, and how water use and home-hardening fit into wildfire readiness.

Douglas County’s Office of Emergency Management describes itself as the county’s main hub for disaster management, training, emergency preparedness and education, multi-agency cooperation, and emergency medical and trauma system coordination. The county also uses DougCoAlert to send real-time warnings for wildfires, floods, severe storms, evacuations, shelter-in-place orders and other emergencies. Along with standardized evacuation terminology and Hi-Lo sirens, the system is meant to reduce confusion during fast-moving incidents.

South Metro Fire Rescue says its Community Risk Reduction team offers wildfire safety education and a self-guided Wildfire Home Assessment, a tool aimed at helping residents spot vulnerabilities before fire season intensifies. Douglas County advises households to create or update evacuation plans for people and pets, map multiple routes out of the neighborhood and choose a reunification point outside the area.

As of June 2, the county reported no current fire restrictions, but officials have continued to stress that preparedness cannot wait for a formal warning. Highlands Ranch Community Association leaders have also said they keep a regular cadence of meetings with Douglas County Communications and OEM, Highlands Ranch Water and South Metro Fire Rescue during drought watch periods, another sign that wildfire readiness in the county is treated as a standing responsibility rather than a seasonal campaign.