Fire is a major concern for all homeowners and especially those in the Southwest high desert areas where rain in sparse and high temperatures are not. The State of AZ has adopted the National Firewise® Communities/USA program administered by the State Forester and in association with numerous entities including AZ Forestry, US Forest Service and NRCS (National Resources Conservation Service).
This program walks homeowners through what actions to take to mitigate the incidence of a fire especially from wildfires. With the creation of the Wildfire Crisis Triangle consisting of Heavy Fuel Accumulation, Dry Weather Patterns and Human Development in the Fire Prone Ecosystem helps to understand the four (4) factors that favor wildfires.
- Fuels
- Topography
- Weather
- Human Environment
Did you know that in the Southwest there are six types of common vegetation fuel types:
- Grass and Desert Scrub?
- Riparian area (near streams)?
- Ponderosa Pine Forest?
- Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands?
- Mixed Conifer?
- Tall Chaparral?
This Firewise® program also educates homeowners to determine survival space in feet based on type of vegetation and slope. There are also the home ignition zones of 1, 2 and 3. Additionally the program examines the "To Go Bag" in detail as in READY, SET, GO
Additionally within this program as specific actions to take such as cutting back trees, to removing vegetation at least 6 feet away from the home and other structures as well as having a “To Go-bag.” With the “To Go-Bag” there are six (6) P’s:
- People and Pets
- Papers
- Prescriptions
- Pictures
- Personal Computer
- Plastic (credit cards)
Finally, Communities can join together in collaborative partnerships to adopt this Firewise® program. Here are 2 websites to visitor for more information:
Feature Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com
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