Forest manager across the southwest are in the midst of a week-long campaign, preparing people for wildfire season. “Southwest Wildfire Awareness” runs from Sunday, March 29th through Sunday, April 5th. Arizona Public Radio’s Aaron Granillo spoke with the deputy fire staff officer on the Kaibab National Forest, Holly Kleindienst, about the campaign.
Aaron Granillo: So all week long, we’ve been trying to prepare people for wildfire season. It’s getting dry. It’s especially been very windy this week as well. What can ordinary people who live in fire-prone areas do to prepare for fire season?
Holly Kleindienst: Aaron, I think there’s two areas where we really wants folks to focus. One of them is around their homes. We want their homes to be fire-wise. Right now is the perfect time for them to get out, clean the pine needles off of their roofs and out of the gutters. And make an area that’s free of flammable material around their home – at least 30 feet around their home. If their wood pile’s been on their porch for the winter time, now is the time to move that far away from the house. Also clean around any out buildings. Clean anything away from propane tanks.
And what about the forest service, specifically on the Kaibab? How do forest managers prepare for wildfire season. I’m sure you’re busy most of the day right now.
Actually, you know, the forest service is preparing for fire season year-round. The primary thing that we’re doing year-round is we’re doing the thinning in the forest – the prescribed burning. And when we’re able to we’re managing wildfires to burn up that accumulated debris in the forest. We’re also talking about producing one less spark. The one less spark program focuses on if you’re traveling along the road make sure those chains that are towing your trailers are not causing sparks. Make sure your brakes have been serviced. If your brakes come apart they’re very hot and they can cause fires. Make sure your tires are in good working order. Those blowouts on tires can cause fires from that hot rubber. And don’t park in tall grass. If you have to pull off the road pull off some place that’s fairly void of vegetation.
I want to go back to what you said earlier about those prescribed burns. We see those so often, especially in recent months. How important are those prescribed burns.
They’re incredible important. We’ve seen direct evidence on our district in the areas where we’ve done prescribed burning that causes a fire that occurs there – from lightning or human caused – to burn on the surface. It’s much easier for us to get on that fire and get it contained and controlled in short order when it’s burning on the surface instead of getting up into the canopies in the trees. And prescribed burning does that for us.
As part of “wildfire awareness week,” there are different themes for each day, and you’ve already hit on a few of them. One less spark equals one less wildfire, never throw a cigarette out the car window, never park your car over dead grass. What is the theme for today?
Today’s theme is “know before you go.” And that means we want you to know what the fire restrictions are in place in the area where you’re going camping so that you can be prepared for that. You can do that really easily. You can go to firerestrictions.us. Or you can go to any one of our forest websites and that will link you to that as well. There’s an interactive map there and you can click right where you’re planning to go and find out what fire restrictions are in place.
