State officials are temporarily spearheading the annual Firewise Community Cleanup south of Flagstaff.
The program was set to end after a local wildland fire crew dissolved in March.
Crews with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management are working in Kachina Village, Mountainaire, Pine Del and Munds Park this week.
They’re picking up pine needles and yard debris gathered by residents and taking it to the nearby Willard Springs green waste site.
The Bear Jaw Interagency Fire and Fuels Crew based out of the Highlands Fire District had done the work for nearly two decades, but it was disbanded last month amid staffing and financial pressures.
“We’ve worked very closely with Bear Jaw for the last 10-plus years,” says state forestry spokesperson Tiffany Davila. “So we wanted to carry on this for Bear Jaw and for the community as well. This is an important project; it gets the community to do their part.”
Davila says the agency may pick up the firewise program permanently.
She encourages all residents to maintain their properties year-round to reduce the risk of wildfire.
“Not only is that going to help you if there is a catastrophic wildfire in the area, it's going to lessen the impact, but it also helps our fire crews as well,” Davila says. “It provides a safe working space for our firefighters to work from so they can further defend your property.”
