Oracle preparing for wildfire threat

The town of Oracle, north of Tucson, is working to reduce the risk of wildfires through the national Firewise program.

"We're looking at the possibility of having the worst fire season we've ever had here," said Larry Southard, Oracle Fire Department fire prevention officer.

To be certified as a Firewise community, residents must create and implement goals and an action plan to reduce fire risk in conjunction with state forestry agencies and local fire departments. Communities also are required to continue regular maintenance and education to maintain their certification.

As part of the effort, Oracle has evaluated homes and asked that residents reduce or clear flammable materials around their homes.

"Something as simple as clearing brush from around buildings could save a town like Oracle," said Ross Hopkins, a member of the Oracle Firewise Communities Board.

Firewise officials advise people to keep flammable items away from homes and create a 30-foot circle of safety — clearing brush, cutting back trees and keeping grasses trimmed.

"We're not asking people to cut down everything," Hopkins said. "We just want people to make a defensible space."

Given recent drought conditions and the three brush fires Oracle has faced in as many weeks, the season is shaping up to be a busy one.

"We're sitting on a ticking time bomb," Southard said. "This town is ready to ignite."

Oracle residents, along with the Oracle Fire Department, formed the Firewise Communities Board.

Since its first meeting two years ago, the communitywide effort has earned Oracle national Firewise status.

Oracle is the eighth Firewise community in Arizona and the 138th nationwide to achieve the certification, Southard said.

"It's the best thing Oracle has going," Southard said.

Although the wildfire threat isn't the same in urban areas as it is in rural wildland areas such as Oracle, there's a concern it may have to draw on neighboring fire district resources.

"We hope to work closely with Oracle Fire Department," said Golder Ranch battalion chief John Sullivan. "We're the closest neighboring jurisdiction and they can be assured we'll be right on their heels, helping them out."

Said Capt. Stuart Rodeffer of Northwest Fire/Rescue District: "If we get a fire in Oracle, it will be large, and it will be devastating. Oracle is a huge concern and they are doing everything in their power to prevent wildfires."

Going house to house, members of the Firewise Communities Board and the Fire Department have conducted an on-site survey to increase awareness of the fire situation in Oracle and to tell people what they can do to protect their homes.

"Two years ago we did an on-site survey of 1,700 homes," Southard said. "We had 25 percent that could have survived a wildfire. Now we're at 50 percent."

With 50 percent more to go, Southard said, there is more work to be done. It would be heartbreaking to see one homeowner's effort be overcome by a neighbor who didn't participate in Firewise, he said.

Wildfires that have come too close for comfort motivated Oracle resident Doug Johnson to start clearing his yard.

"When I moved here I realized I was in a different environment than I was used to," said Johnson, who moved to Oracle in 1998 after living on the East Coast and in the Midwest. "You learn things when you attend Firewise meetings that you can apply to your own property."

Johnson uses mostly native plants, trims back plants and trees that can fuel fire, keeps water hoses on hand and limits large plants from being close to the house.

Also motivated by past fires, Northwest Fire District officials are doing their homework on Firewise.

"After the Aspen Fire, the need for Firewise was identified," Rodeffer said of the 2003 fire that burned Summerhaven and rolled through 84,750 acres of forest. "It's just a matter of implementation."

Northwest Fire is working to establish a Firewise program and educate the public about its benefits, Rodeffer said.

"We're identifying risks and hazards in the fire district," he said.

Northwest Fire plans to staff "brush trucks" starting in April to patrol for and battle brush fires.

● National Firewise Communities Program is online at www.firewise.org