The catastrophic fires in the L.A. area serve as a painful reminder of the wildfire risk within our own community. With no rain since the beginning of November and no appreciable precipitation anticipated in the near future, it is imperative that residents remain vigilant for wildfires, even in these colder winter months. This includes not only hardening our homes against a wildfire, but also includes being prepared to evacuate on a moment’s notice. Here are a few items to help create better outcomes:
- Have no flammable materials within five feet of your home. No tree branches or shrubs, no stacked woodpiles, no wooden patio furniture, and no lumber for that next big project.
- Be familiar with the Ready, Set, Go system, and register with Yavapai County for emergency notifications.
- Install the Genasys Protect application on your phone for rapid information regarding incidents. Both the City of Prescott and Yavapai County use this platform for evacuation zone notifications.
- Have an evacuation plan. Prepare an emergency “go” kit ready with 72-hours’ worth of food, water, and supplies. Know where to go, how you will get there, and what to bring.
- Do not delay evacuation waiting for a knock on the door from an officer telling you to evacuate. There is no guarantee this will happen when a fast-moving fire strikes.
Wildfires are a threat to our community year-round. More extensive information on creating defensible space around your home, improving your home’s resilience to wildfire, and how to be prepared to evacuate can be found at Prescott Fire Department’s website as well as the Yavapai County Office of Emergency Management. City of Prescott residents can request a free wildfire risk assessment of their home by contacting Prescott Fire Department at: pfd.wildfirerisk@prescott-az.gov or by calling Wildfire Risk Manager Conrad Jackson at 928-777-1700 ext 7065.
We are sorry that this post was not too useful for you!
Let us improve this post!
9 thoughts on “Understand and Prepare For Wildfire Risk: Statement from the Prescott Fire Department”
Thank you for this post. I am the president of Board for Cliff Rose HOA. We have had Conrad come speak to us twice and we still can’t get any interest from our community to sit on a firewise board. Any suggestions?
Donna Whitmore
The City of Prescott needs to develope and actively enforce Firewise requirments. Until this is done the City will not be ready. Suggestions to Firewise are seldom done by enough property owners to make a difference.
I know a guy in CA who had a 100 yard firewire barrier. His house burned to the ground. The embers are out a mile infront of the fire. If you think this is going to save your then you are mistaken.
I think people are confused about all of this “Firewise” stuff. Some people strip their properties naked and others let weeds and leaves collect. Others cut branches off their trees up 10 feet while others leave the limbs close to the ground. What people don’t understand is, for the most part, green doesn’t catch on fire, it’s the debris on the ground that catches fire and dried out the tree therefore setting the tree on fire. Clear a thirty foot area around your house, hello, the homes are only maybe sixty feet apart and if every one did that we would have no vegetation whatsoever. If people would just take the time to make sure there is nothing on the ground, no dead leaves and no dead grass or weeds, then if a fire were to break out the flowing embers would land and not start a fire.
Donna, I had Conrad come out to my home yesterday to do a fire Wise inspection. I thought that I was pretty well set in this area, but Conrad did bring out a couple of things that would be beneficial for me to correct. He was very informative and helped me to get the Alerts apps on my phone. I highly recommend that everyone call Conrad to get this free inspection. Taking proactive cautionary measures could not only save our home but those in our surrounding areas. It’s free and well worth it!
I absolutely agree with you. However, we would have to have a mayor and city council that are not beholden to the realty and developer community in our area. For vacant properties containing dense brush and trees, Firewising adds to the cost of ownership and reduces the profit that investors can make from the land. Firewising is not cheap, even when grants are factored in, because the grants typically cover only about 25% of the cost – my own experience from owning four lots and Firewising them in The Ranch at Prescott. Sad to say, but I think many homes will have to burn before there is enough outcry to offset the campaign contributions of realtors and developers.
In previous years’ wildfire evacuation instructions, residents were instructed to tie a white cloth on their door handle or on their street mailbox as they were leaving to let search and rescue workers know they did not have to search that structure, saving significant time in assisting others. I have not seen this recommendation made recently.
Seems to make a lot of sense.
I agree with Chuck. Many of us have followed through with the Firewise program. Until there is a REQUIREMENT to do so, our efforts may be in vain if surrounding property owners choose not to cooperate, especially owners of undeveloped properties.
Prescott’s dedication to wild fire management is about as feeble as that of Los Angeles. Fortunately the Prescott National Forest does a decent job of protecting neighborhoods adjacent to the Forest.
Comments are closed.