Enviromental and Fire Concerns Finally an Issue!

Public Safety Against Wildfires - Many Colorado communities like Aspen and Colorado Springs require Class A roofing materials and ban wood shake and wood shingles on houses.  The Pine Beetle has made its mark in our forests and the Vail Fire Department and the US Forest Service have a mutual goal -to prevent forest fires.  Dead timber or fossil fuel could cause major problems for Vail in the future, so simple measures must be taken for public safety.

A Wood Shingle Ban on new and existing houses is in the works.  The Vail Town Council approved the first reading of a proposed text amendment to the Vail Town Code on Jan. 16., requiring fire-resistant Class A roofs on all structures in the Town of Vail at the time a new roof is put on or when a old roof is re-roofed.  The second reading is scheduled for Feb. 6.  If approved, the ban on wood shingles will require new roofs with over 50% of the total roofing area to comply with Class A standards.

Class A roofing materials and assemblies represent the highest fire rating by the Internationl Building Code and may include concrete tile, slate, metal, ashphalt and fiberglass shingles, built-up tar and gravel.  Council is also considering other situations not covered under new construction on re-roofs, such as additions and repairs.

http://www.co.larimer.co.us/wildfire/fwcroofing.pdf

US Department of Energy http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/Roofing.html#METAL

Plan on attending the Vail Town Council work session discussion on this and other pertinent matters on Feb. 6, 2007.  If you wish to share your comments in advance or cannot attend, you can contact Town of Vail Planner, Rachel Freide at rfriede@vailgov.com

For information on enviromental issues and making a home safe and more energy efficient, contact Teri Lester, Eco-Broker, 970-766-2618 or tlester@gatewayland.com or www.ecobroker.com

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.