Phoenix Fire Department shares how they are prepared for urban wildfires
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Phoenix City Council heard a new report on Tuesday to see if Phoenix is prepared for what they call a “wildland-urban interface” or WUI, which refers to areas where human development intersects with undeveloped wildlands.
“Wildfires in these areas have become an increasing concern in Phoenix, particularly where natural fuels dry out in the spring and summer, elevating the risk when temperatures exceed 105°F and humidity drops below 15%,” according to the report’s summary.
The report covers fire threats, ongoing mitigation efforts and collaboration between the Phoenix Fire Department, Water Services Department and Office of Emergency Management.
This report comes after the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles that killed at least 29 people.
Much of the criticism on the city’s response was a lack of water and fire hydrants not working properly, as well as a lack of pressure to send water to firefighters’ hoses.
Since 2018-2019, Phoenix Fire Executive Assistant Chief Tim Kreis says the department has stepped up its efforts to respond to these types of wildfires in areas that are in the Wildfire Urban Interface.
“Today when we activate our wildland-urban interface protocol, when temperatures are high and humidity is low, we’re sending a lot more resources early with the intent of getting ahead of those incidents early,” he explained.
A recent Phoenix Fire evaluation of the city found there are 41,436 acres and 42,638 addresses that are in risk areas.
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In this report, Phoenix officials looked into fire hydrant maintenance, reporting that, on average, less than 1% or 520 hydrants are identified for replacement, according to a 2021 review.
The City of Phoenix also looked into water distribution and design to ensure there were pressure zones around the city to battle the flames.
So what as a homeowner can you do to protect your property?
Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management Fire Prevention Captain Chris Reed says the best way is to create defensible spaces.
Arizona’s Family spoke to Bobbie Scopa, who had fought fires in cities and wildlands for over 45 years and applauded the city’s report.
“I think it’s outstanding because when you bring that stuff out in the open and have conversations, things will always come up,” said Scopa. “That report concentrates heavily on the water supply which made such a public outcry of the L.A. area.”
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