Brush Fire Prevention Tips

It is fire season in the southwest. Winds, drought, and high temperatures have combined to make Arizona’s forests and desert areas extremely dry this year. Conditions are so dry and there is so much dry wood and vegetation that many public lands have issued restrictions. A few areas are closed as well. Arizona Interagency Fire Prevention is working hard to inform people about fire prevention. We encourage everyone to be especially cautious while out on public or private forests or brushlands.

THINK BEFORE YOU ACT!

Live and dead fuels that may start a wildfire are everywhere – they impact recreation areas and may destroy homes and cabins and threaten lives.

Chainsaws, broken glass, carelessly tossed cigarettes, fireworks, abandoned campfires, catalytic converters, and discharge of firearms are all known causes of wildfire. We offer the following tips to help ensure that human caused wildfires are kept to a minimum this year:

REPORT ALL WILDFIRES TO 911

Call the fire restrictions toll-free hotline at 1-877-864-6985 or click on the link at the top of this page to get to the Southwest Coordination Center’s list of fire restrictions.

CAMPING AND PICNICING

Before you go, call the fire restrictions hotline toll-free at 1-877-864-6985 to check for fire restrictions or closures. Fire restrictions vary but most mean that no open fires are allowed except in established campgrounds with fire grills or pits. Some areas have prohibited all fires except gas or propane campstoves, some restrict all types of flame.

NEVER LEAVE YOUR FIRE UNATTENDED AND STAY WITH IT UNTIL IT IS OUT COLD

VEHICLES

Pausing or parking a car or truck in tall grass or over shrubs can start fires. This not only may damage your vehicle but may also start a quickly moving fire. Do not park where vegetation is touching the underside of your vehicle and if you do pause, look behind you before you drive away. Grass burns quickly and under dry, windy conditions can turn into a wall of flames in minutes.

SMOKING

A burning cigarette is a small fire ready to become a larger one. Cigarettes are made to burn long and slowly and can start fires even hours after being dropped or thrown away. Never walk off and leave a burning cigarette and be aware of all smoking restrictions when recreating on public lands.

FIREWORKS

Fireworks are not permitted on public lands throughout the entire state. Sparks from fireworks can cause wildfires in dry vegetation. Some towns and cities are including fireworks displays as part of their holiday celebrations. Please check your local newspaper for times and locations.

CHAINSAWS AND EQUIPMENT

Sparks from chainsaws, welding torches, and other equipment can cause wildfires. Use spark arresters, refrain from welding and use of spark-creating machines when fire danger is high. Follow forest restrictions and closures–presently in some areas chainsaws are not allowed.

HOMES AND BUILDINGS

To a wildfire your house or cabin in the country, if built of flammable materials, is only fuel. Yes, sad to say wildfires do not discriminate between trees and cabins – if it is flammable it will burn. You can, however, take steps to protect your home from a wildfire’s flames by taking some simple steps to create “defensible space,” and area around your building that discourages fire from coming too near. Slope, vegetation types, planting design, location of outbuildings all affect a wildfire’s ability to reach your home. Defensible space can be created in many ways. For example you can:

• plant fire resistant plants
• space plants to slow the spread of fire from plant to plant
• place woodpiles and wooden picnic tables well away from buildings
• keep roofs free of needles and leaves
• screen openings under decks and attic and foundation vents

KIDS CAN HELP

• by never playing with matches, lighters, flammable liquids, or any fire
• by telling their friends about fire prevention and sharing their knowledge about what to do in a fire emergency
• by staying calm during an emergency and listening to the instructions given to them by their parents
• by remembering their assigned meeting place and by coming promptly upon hearing the signal
• by keeping their toys, bikes and belongings out of the driveway so firefighters and their equipment can come through during a fire emergency