Boise Fire Department Highlights Free Chipping Program Ahead of Wildfire Community Preparedness Day

Boise Fire Department Highlights Free Chipping Program Ahead of Wildfire Community Preparedness Day

Media Advisory: To arrange an interview with our Wildfire Captain to discuss how residents can prepare for wildfire season and our Neighborhood Chipping Program contact BFDmedialine@cityofboise.org.

Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is taking place on Saturday, May 2. As it approaches, the Boise Fire Department is encouraging residents to take simple steps to reduce wildfire risk, including participating in the free Neighborhood Chipping Program.

Offered through the Boise Fire Department, the program helps residents dispose of woody debris, such as tree limbs and branches, that can fuel wildfires. Services are available to homeowners in Boise’s wildland-urban interface (WUI), areas where homes are closest to open wildland and face higher wildfire risk.

Residents who sign up in advance can receive curbside chipping service by preparing small, neatly stacked piles of branches (up to 12 inches in diameter) for collection. Piles must be within five feet of the edge of the road, and pile size is limited to 5’x5’x5’, but you can have as many piles as you need.

Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is a national effort that encourages neighbors to work together on projects that improve defensible space and reduce wildfire hazards. Boise residents can take part by clearing vegetation and using programs like the neighborhood chipping to help protect their homes and communities.

Boise is not immune to wildfire; in the past ten years, wildfires have burned more than 15,000 acres in the Boise foothills.

Residents interested in our neighborhood chipping program can visit https://www.adafireadapted.org/ or contact a Wildfire Mitigation Specialist at (208) 570-6500.