Free Assessments Available for Co-op Members
At your not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative, we understand the power of working together to improve safety, whether we’re wow-ing school kids with Dan the Magic Man’s Electric Safety Show, training line workers to work with high voltage power lines, or reviewing Roundup for Safety grants that aim to improve the safety of our communities. We also work directly with our members to mitigate the risk of wildfire in heavily treed Northwest Montana.
Montana’s wildfire seasons are becoming longer and more intense, putting homes, infrastructure, and lives at greater risk. However, you can take meaningful steps to protect your property. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) offers free Home Wildfire Risk Assessments to help property owners identify and reduce wildfire hazards. These assessments are available at no cost and are separate from grant funding. Information discussed during site visits will not be shared with any third parties and will only be available to yourself and emergency first responders in Montana. Home Wildfire Risk Assessments are a simple, effective way to understand your property’s unique risks and learn how to make it more fire resilient.
When you request a site visit, a local fire professional will assess your home and the area immediately surrounding it. You can ask questions you may have about living with wildfire. The professional evaluates key factors like vegetation, building materials, access routes, and defensible space. They provide recommendations on how to reduce your wildfire risk and plan for evacuation. If implemented, the recommended changes can help decrease the property’s wildfire risk.
While you’re doing your part, you’ll see your Co-op out supporting wildfire mitigation efforts, too. We perform vegetation management (i.e., tree trimming) around power lines every month of the year to increase your electricity’s reliability (trees falling on lines typically cause power outages) and to reduce the risk of wildfire (trees making contact with lines might cause fires). Just last year, staff updated our Wildfire Mitigation Plan, trimmed over 100 miles of overhead lines in a service area about the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined, and secured three grants totaling $9M for vegetation maintenance to enhance wildfire resilience.
Wildfire doesn’t stop at property lines, and the choices of one landowner can impact an entire community. That’s why collaboration matters, and why the DNRC Home Wildfire Risk Assessments program is such a valuable opportunity—not just for individuals, but for everyone. By participating in a free assessment, you’re contributing to a stronger, safer, and more resilient Northwest Montana. When we work together, we strengthen the protection of our homes, our power infrastructure, and each other.
Let’s work together to reduce wildfire risk, one property at a time. Schedule your Free Home Wildfire Risk Assessment (DNRC) today.
