Marshall Fire Unified Research Survey
Our 2024 survey wave is now live!
If you have received a survey invitation by mail or email, please click on the link to take the survey:
Link to the Survey
You will be asked to login with the Survey ID provided in your invitation.
Questions or problems accessing the survey? Please contact us.
On this website you'll find detailed information about the survey. Click on the links below or scroll down to find information about:
Why are we doing this survey, and why is this research so important?
What kinds of questions will the survey ask, and why are we asking these questions?
Why are we asking people about difficult experiences they've been through?
What's the difference between this survey and all of the other surveys and forms I've gotten?
Who is conducting this survey?
This survey effort is being led by a Colorado-based team of researchers based at the University of Colorado's Denver (Dr. Deserai Crow), Anschutz (Dr. Katie Dickinson and Dr. Courtney Welton-Mitchell), and Boulder (Dr. Colleen Reid) campuses. Immediately after the fire, this group of researchers came together out of a shared interest in learning from this event and its aftermath. Through CU's Natural Hazards Center and the CONVERGE initiative, we quickly found out that many other researchers around the country were also interested in conducting a household survey in the fire-affected communities. Dr. Dickinson, an experienced survey researcher and Louisville resident, decided to convene the Marshall Fire Unified Survey Research Team in order to coordinate across teams and create one combined survey, with the goal of reducing impacts on the community (who wants 15 different survey requests!) and strengthening the research approach by putting all of our heads and expertise together. A full list of collaborators can be found here. Our team includes experts in disaster response and recovery research, mental and physical health, public health, engineering, and veterinary medicine. Multiple team members and survey reviewers are also residents of Marshall-fire affected communities, and we have consulted with community leaders and residents in the design of this survey.
If you have questions about the survey, please contact Dr. Katie Dickinson (katherine.dickinson@cuanschutz.edu) or Dr. Deserai Crow (deserai.crow@ucdenver.edu).
Why are we doing this survey, and why is this research so important?
Learning from disasters is an important step towards building more resilient cities and communities. Your participation in the Marshall Fire Unified Research Survey will help scientists to answer important questions, such as:
How can evacuations be improved?
What factors shape residents’ decisions to rebuild or relocate after a disaster?
How can we better understand and prevent environmental and health impacts of fires?
What types of experiences, thoughts, feelings and behaviors are associated with mental health challenges and long-term recovery after this event?
The knowledge we gain from the Marshall Fire will help decision-makers in Colorado and elsewhere to make better plans, policies and programs to protect vulnerable communities and help them recover after disasters and extreme events.
If we don’t do this research, important questions will remain unanswered. We will fail to understand how this fire event may be unique in some important ways that can help us to better plan for future events. We may miss an opportunity to use the knowledge from this event to develop more effective mental health services or better evacuation procedures.
Our goal is to learn from a diverse sample of Boulder County residents. Your participation is important to the success of the survey! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Deserai Crow (deserai.crow@ucdenver.edu).
What kinds of questions will the survey ask, and why are we asking these questions?
In Wave 3 of the survey (February 2024 launch), the survey focuses on questions about physical and mental health, environmental changes, relocating, rebuilding, support of local policies, and engagement with local officials.
At this link, we explain, section by section, the purpose of the survey and discuss how data will be used to understand the impacts of the Marshall Fire on Boulder County communities, and how the recovery process shapes and is shaped by residents’ experiences.
Why are we asking people about difficult experiences they've been through?
Understanding and accounting for the full range of disaster impacts is crucial so we can prepare for and recover from these events. At the same time, we understand that thinking about and responding to questions about a difficult experience like the Marshall Fire can be challenging. Previous research indicates that people who have been through difficult experiences often find engaging with this type of voluntary survey to be useful. For example, some people appreciate being able to share their experiences, and hope that doing so will help others to better plan for and recover from similar disasters. Our goal is to give respondents accurate information about what is included in the survey so each person can make an informed choice about whether to participate or not. On our website and in the survey document we have provided mental health resources for those who may be interested.
What's the difference between this survey and all of the other surveys and forms I've gotten?
It may be helpful to clarify that there are different types of forms, assessments, and surveys that you may be receiving from different organizations related to the fire.
These include:
FORMS (for example, from insurance companies or other agencies) that are required to access specific services (for example, processing insurance payments).
NEEDS ASSESSMENTS (for example, from volunteer organizations or governments) that are used to guide the recovery effort and identify unmet needs that should be addressed.
RESEARCH SURVEYS (from universities or other research institutions) that are used to understand this event, answer research questions, and draw lessons related to this recovery and similar disaster events. This survey falls into this category, and is a VOLUNTARY survey - you do not need to participate, and your response will not affect the services you receive in any way.
We have worked hard through our survey development process to minimize burdens of this survey on respondents by pooling efforts across multiple research teams, by involving experts in survey research, disaster research, and mental health, and by getting input from affected community members. It is important to know that this survey is VOLUNTARY - you are under no obligation to take it. You are also welcome to skip any questions if you do decide to take the survey.
How will results be used and shared?
We are conducting this survey because we believe it is important to understand how the Marshall Fire affected communities, and how individuals and communities are making decisions about the recovery process. This information can help inform this recovery process, and is also important to share more broadly as our society learns how to build resilience in the face of multiple different hazards. It will also be used by members of the research team in scientific papers and reports. Additionally, we will generate publicly available survey reports and share them on this website. All results will be reported anonymously - names and other identifying information for survey participants will not be linked to survey responses in reports or publications.
Who is funding this survey?
This survey effort is supported by the National Science Foundation (#2220589), the JPB Environmental Health Fellows program, the Natural Hazards Center, and University of Colorado Boulder’s Office of Outreach and Engagement.