Carbondale project seeks household data: five-minute survey in English and Spanish

Project staff asked each household in Carbondale to complete a five-minute survey—available in English and Spanish—that gathers 15 features of a dwelling, including roof and siding materials, to improve the accuracy of the town’s wildfire model.

"It's for homeowners. It's for renters," Angie Dablin said, urging broad participation and explaining respondents can answer "I don't know" where appropriate. Dablin said the team is aiming to finish surveys by the end of March and to achieve 100% coverage within town limits; where data are missing they will hire a contractor to perform house-to-house collection.

Dablin reported roughly 220 responses so far from early outreach and word-of-mouth. She said the project will send a mailer to every home in the next three to four days and will use email, QR codes, signage and local media to boost participation.

Meeting participants discussed additional tactics to increase uptake, including HOA newsletters and direct visits to apartment complexes; Dablin noted the team has limited funding for areas outside town limits and is asking neighboring developments to coordinate their own outreach.

Next steps: complete the online survey push, deploy the mailer, and switch to contractor-led door-to-door collection once the contractor ramps up fieldwork in late March and April.