Wildfire preparedness

By Linda McThrall, editor

The state of Arizona has lost more than three quarters of a million acres of forest to wild fires this year.

The big fires have taken place in eastern and southern parts of the state in the “greener” parts. The deserts, as of this writing, have been spared this summer. But there are measures to take to ensure the precious landscape stays safe throughout the remainder of the summer.

Randy Roberts, assistant fire chief/fire marshal in Fountain Hills, said that Fountain Hills Town Code is a great tool to keep buildings safe.

A 30-foot defensible space is required around buildings. Invasive plants, weeds and dry, dead plant materials should be checked regularly and removed. For plants located near a building, watering systems should be in place to keep plants green and growing.

The City of Scottsdale has a defensible space requirement as well.

Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal for the City of Scottsdale, Jim Ford, said having the defensible space works on two levels.

“If you can’t get around an area because of overgrowth, neither can we (firefighters),” ford said. “When you reduce the fuel load, you also create space to slow a fire down.”

When a fire breaks out, when it reaches a space of reduced fuel, it slows down.

“That gives us more time, and it slows the fire down,” he said.

Roberts said invasive species have created a serious problem in the desert. The most common invasive plants are desert broom and tamarisk, or salt cedar.

“These are plants that have really taken hold,” he said. “When native ground is not disturbed, these invasive plants are kept in check. But when clear cutting and blading begins, the invasives take over. They are what cause the danger.”

Ford said by taking care of the invasive plants and keeping defensible space, between 90 and 95 percent of the problem areas are eliminated.

“That’s pretty substantial,” he said.

Roberts said this summer is average to slightly above average for fuel growth. The Town of Fountain Hills has had to cut back on wash maintenance, but Maricopa County has stepped in to get the town back on track.

Ford said that there is a fire season every year in the desert.

“We have either a year where the flash fuels are overgrown (from a wet winter), or the larger fuels are dried out more (from a dry winter),” he said. “But no matter what, we have a fire season.

At this point, Roberts said, the community is in good shape, but firefighters encourage residents and visitors to pay careful attention to their environment and to use common sense.

“Fires are preventable,” Roberts said. “Things happen, but if you take the right steps, you are helping us a great deal.”

If a fire does break out, Roberts said the first thing to do is to call 911. He also said residents should have garden hoses on each of their outside water spigots.

“If you have a fire, get the garden hose on it until we get there,” Robert said. “That will help. But people should call 911 first thing.”

Roberts said the upcoming Fourth of July holiday is causing some concern.

“It’s legal to buy fireworks, but it isn’t legal to use them within the city limits of Fountain Hills,” he said. “However, there are novelty items, such as sparklers, that can cause a problem.”

Those novelty items can be purchased at a variety of stores. Sparklers, Roberts said, burn at about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

“So yes, they are plenty dangerous,” he said.

The City of Scottsdale also prohibits the use of fireworks inside the city limits. Fireworks caused a fire on Pinnacle Peak in June. The hiker was unaware he could not set the fireworks off, thinking it would be okay since he had purchased the materials in the city. The City of Scottsdale prohibits the use of all types of fireworks, including the novelty types.

State statutes say the sales of fireworks cannot be restricted, but individual communities can restrict whether they can be used.

“If you use fireworks in Scottsdale, you can be cited,” Ford said. “But above that, if you use fireworks and you start a fire, you will be held accountable for the costs involved with us having to fight that fire.”

Fountain Hills allows the use of novelty items, but costs incurred by emergency responders in the event of a fire caused by the use of such items would be borne by the user. Setting off “permissible consumer fireworks” in Fountain Hills is a Class 3 misdemeanor.