Building Skills to Increase Wildfire Mitigation in Larimer County

Grantee	Larimer County Office of Emergency Management, The Ember Alliance
Project Name	Larimer County Community Mitigation Projects
Year Awarded	2025
Result	Three first responders complete S-212 chainsaw training.

At The Fireshed Fund, we’re proud to see our funding at work strengthening local wildfire resilience across Larimer County.  

Recently, three responders from Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department (RCVFD) wrapped up an S-212 Chainsaw Course lead by The Ember Alliance. The training helped bring together participants from Glacier View, Poudre Canyon, and Rist Canyon volunteer fire departments. 

Over the course, participants gained hands-on experience in chainsaw maintenance, safety, tree felling, limbing, and bucking—essential skills for safe and effective wildfire response. These capabilities not only strengthen the safety of local firefighters, but also help communities prepare for and respond to wildfire threats. 

This training is a perfect example of what The Fireshed Fund strives to do: support community-led projects that build local capacity, enhance wildfire preparedness, and foster collaboration among neighbors in the Northern Colorado Fireshed. 

This training was made possible by Zoom who awarded the Fireshed Fund a $30,000 grant, which was then passed through Larimer County’s Community Mitigation Grant Program to support three community-led projects. 

The Larimer County Community Mitigation Grant Program aims to remove financial barriers and catalyze grassroot efforts for mitigation activities at the community scale, building momentum and providing a sense of agency for longer term self-sufficiency in this important risk reduction work. 

“There is strong interest in the area by groups and agencies doing mitigation but a very limited number of training opportunities. The course was well done and will be a real asset if offered in the future.” -The Ember Alliance S-212 Participant