A decision-ready community scope

HOA Wildfire Treatment Proposal Checklist for Boards

Use this HOA wildfire treatment proposal checklist to compare mapped scope, authority, price, product evidence, resident coordination and completion records.

By Wildfire Treatment Group.

Build the packet around one board decision

A useful HOA proposal tells directors, managers and residents what the association is being asked to approve. It should identify the property, the proposed service, the treatment units, the price basis and the person authorized to accept the scope. Put unresolved questions in a separate list instead of hiding them in a broad request for “community protection.”

WTG offers planned professional ground application of Komodo to suitable vegetation. The proposal should not imply that WTG installs sprinklers, performs tree removal or home hardening, provides emergency response, certifies wildfire risk or guarantees an outcome. Those boundaries belong near the beginning of the board packet.

Confirm authority before treating a map as scope

An association may maintain common ground without controlling every roadside edge, easement or resident parcel. Identify who owns or controls each proposed unit and what approval is required under the governing documents, contracts and applicable law. WTG’s site review and proposal are not legal opinions or proof that the association has permission to authorize work.

Separate common property, participating private lots, public land and unresolved boundaries. If an owner opt-in or another party’s permission is required, keep that area outside the approved base scope until authorization is documented. A manager may coordinate access without having authority to change the contract; name both roles when they differ.

Use a map with named treatment units

A board should be able to match every price option to a recognizable place. Divide the request into named units such as “west entrance grasses,” “clubhouse north edge” or “private road segment B.” Show the proposed boundary, relevant vegetation and material exclusions for each unit.

Do not use the subdivision boundary or total HOA acreage as if it were the treatment footprint. Buildings, pavement, water, gardens, animal-use areas, neighboring property and unsuitable or inaccessible vegetation may sit inside a broad polygon without being application targets. See how to estimate treatment area.

Separate the base scope, options and later phases

If budget or readiness requires choices, label a base scope and price each option or phase against its own map. State whether mobilization, travel, preparation, documentation and follow-up are included or separate. This gives the board a like-for-like decision and helps residents understand why some areas may be treated before others.

Phasing should follow priority, authority, suitability and operating constraints—not an unsupported promise that one edge protects the entire community. The proposal should explain how a later phase will be reassessed if vegetation, access or ownership changes.

Connect the project to a CWPP without confusing the documents

Colorado State Forest Service describes a Community Wildfire Protection Plan as a locally developed plan that identifies wildfire risk and prioritizes actions. A relevant CWPP can provide community context, but it does not automatically approve WTG’s commercial scope, choose the product or authorize work on a parcel.

Include the current plan or local recommendations in the review packet when available. Ask the proposal to explain how the defined vegetation units relate to those priorities, then keep the contract, permissions and product-specific decisions separate. Do not market the application as CWPP endorsement or compliance unless the responsible authority has provided that determination.

Treat Firewise recognition as context—not a product approval

NFPA’s Firewise USA program asks participating sites to organize, assess risk, create a multi-year action plan and document annual investment. A recognized community’s action plan may help the board explain where a proposed project fits, but recognition does not mean NFPA selected, approved or guarantees a commercial product or provider.

If the association intends to count work toward a Firewise submission, the program coordinator should confirm the current documentation and eligibility rules. WTG’s proposal and completion record can describe the actual service; they should not state that a project will earn, renew or preserve recognition.

Make resident communication an assigned deliverable

Name the association contact responsible for notices and the provider contact for product or scope questions. The communication plan should distinguish a project still under review from approved work, identify the included common areas and explain whether private lots are excluded or separately authorized.

Before application, distribute only confirmed timing, access and site-use instructions tied to the actual plan. Avoid invented reentry periods, generic safety assurances or statements that the whole community will be protected. State how a weather or access change will be communicated and where residents should direct boundary questions. Review the resident communication guide.

Plan access and private-road work without promising evacuation performance

Show gates, narrow turns, steep grades, parking, school-bus windows, deliveries, contractor schedules and other constraints that affect equipment movement. If roadside vegetation is proposed, distinguish the road surface, shoulder, adjoining ownership and exact vegetation units. Confirm how normal traffic and emergency access will be preserved during planned work.

Roadside pretreatment cannot guarantee an open evacuation route, safe passage or emergency-vehicle access during a wildfire. Keep evacuation policy and emergency planning with the responsible public authorities. WTG’s role is the defined ground-application project, not traffic control during an incident or emergency response. Read the private-road planning guide.

Require exact product and qualification evidence

Ask the proposal to name the exact Komodo product and formulation, intended use and the current manufacturer directions and Safety Data Sheet that apply. The September 15, 2025 U.S. Forest Service Qualified Products List and the agency’s November 2021 product sheet identify Komodo K500CC under stated pretreatment and ground-application conditions.

That listing does not qualify every Komodo-branded formulation, certify WTG, approve the HOA project or guarantee property survival. Product and use must match the evidence being cited. If a bidder uses another formulation or application method, compare the documentation for that exact offering. Understand retardant qualification and its limits.

Compare total price only after scope and assumptions match

Two proposal totals are not comparable when one covers different units, vegetation, preparation or documentation. Give providers the same board brief and map, then normalize the included work and assumptions before evaluating price. Use the full proposal-comparison framework.

  • Named treatment units and measured or estimated area basis
  • Exact product, formulation and intended application method
  • Vegetation preparation assigned to the HOA or another contractor
  • Mobilization, travel, access and staging assumptions
  • Resident, landscape-contractor and property-manager coordination
  • Base scope, alternates, unit pricing or change-order method
  • Completion map, product records, photographs and follow-up terms
  • Scheduling, cancellation and remobilization conditions

Set change control before the crew arrives

Name the individual who can approve a material field change and the dollar or scope limit of that authority. Require a revised map or written note when access is unavailable, vegetation is unsuitable, an unmarked feature is discovered or the board requests a different unit. A crew should not silently expand onto a private lot or substitute another area to preserve a square-foot total.

The completion record should identify excluded, incomplete and changed units as clearly as completed work. If the authorized person cannot make the decision, the proposal should say whether the affected unit will be paused, excluded or rescheduled and how added mobilization will be handled.

Schedule around community operations and site readiness

Coordinate mowing, pruning, irrigation, landscape work and other changes before the final scope is approved. Review community events, pet and play areas, gate access, parking, school transportation and landscape-contractor schedules. Weather and field conditions may still require a change; WTG does not provide an emergency application service.

The proposal should identify preparation deadlines, the scheduling contact and what happens if the association or site is not ready. Do not promise a fixed protection duration or maintenance interval. Inspection and follow-up should respond to weather, irrigation, vegetation growth and site changes. Review maintenance and weather considerations.

Approve the completion record before approving the work

The board packet should state what the association will receive after application and who will keep it. Request the approved proposal, completed-unit map, product identity, service dates, exclusions, field changes and relevant photographs or observations. Identify the role responsible for future handoff when a manager or board changes.

Documentation records what was done; it does not certify the community as fireproof, prove ongoing efficacy, guarantee insurance treatment or replace maintenance. See the full wildfire treatment documentation guide.

Send WTG a board-ready starting brief

To begin, provide the community address, property type, priority common areas, estimated treatment units, known ownership or authorization questions, access constraints and current photographs or site plans when available. Identify the board or management contact and the person who can approve scope.

Request a community wildfire pretreatment quote. WTG will review operating fit, travel, suitable vegetation, exclusions and scheduling before confirming a proposal. The inquiry is not binding, and a proposal does not promise property survival, evacuation access, insurance outcomes or blanket environmental safety.

Questions about this service

What should an HOA board approve?

Approve a defined service: named treatment units, exclusions, exact product, price basis, preparation, access, communication, change authority, schedule terms and completion records. Avoid approving only a broad promise of community protection.

Can the HOA include individual lots?

Only when the association or participating owners have the required authority and the provider confirms suitability. Keep private-lot units and pricing separate from common-area work until authorization is documented.

Does a CWPP authorize the project?

No. A CWPP can identify community risks and priorities, but it does not automatically authorize commercial work, determine property rights or approve a specific product and scope.

Does Firewise USA recognition approve Komodo or WTG?

No. Firewise USA is a community wildfire-risk-reduction framework. Recognition should not be represented as an endorsement of a product, provider or project.

Can an HOA treat vegetation along a private road?

Potentially, after ownership, authority, vegetation, access and exclusions are reviewed. Roadside treatment does not guarantee that the route will remain open or safe during a wildfire.

How should boards compare proposals with different prices?

First compare the same mapped units, product, preparation, mobilization, coordination, documentation and change terms. A lower total for a smaller or less complete scope is not a like-for-like comparison.

What should residents be told?

Tell residents whether the project is proposed or approved, where work is planned, whether private lots are included, the confirmed timing and access instructions, and who can answer scope or product questions. Do not promise that treatment makes the community safe.

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