Rotary hosts USFS, SFD, YCSO at wildfire readiness forum
With the wildfire season underway, the Rotary Club of Sedona Village packed its first community preparedness session March 26 at the Village of Oakcreek Association Community Center, bringing together speakers from the U.S. Forest Service, Sedona Fire District, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and local Realtors and insurers.
Red Rock Ranger District’s District Ranger Alex Schleuter and Assistant Fire Management Officer Larry Badger gave a presentation on the Woods Fire, which burned 59 acres east of VOC on Aug. 13 after a lightning strike ignited the blaze. The fire grew quick enough that the USFS and Sedona Fire District called in aviation assets from California, Colorado and New Mexico before it was contained with no loss of life or property.
Schleuter said the total cost of fighting the Woods Fire came in at $652,874, with aviation being the largest expense at $352,285, followed by equipment at $119,299, crews at $96,058, support costs at $64,397, indirect personnel overhead at $14,434, and direct personnel line costs at $6,401.
The Woods Fire was among the first local tests of the Pano AI camera system, a network of AI-powered cameras owned by the Arizona Public Service utility company that automatically detect smoke and alert fire agencies by text.
“We’re super lucky to have partnerships with those guys that we’re allowed to access those cameras,” Badger said. “Those of us that are duty officers, we see those texts and we get smoke reports or possible smoke reports. That’s one way that incidents get reported to us.”
APS has installed a Pano camera at the Sedona Airport and a weather station in the Village of Oak Creek, with additional fire safety improvements slated.
“Once construction for the Oak Creek to McGuireVille transmission line is completed, we will be installing a high-definition fire monitoring camera on our equipment that will help APS’ fire mitigation specialists and meteorologists track weather conditions and identify any potential hazards near the line,” APS spokeswoman Yessica Del Rincon wrote.
However, local opponents to the new transmission line predicated much of their objections on the line itself constituting a wildfire risk.
Schleuter gave a brief update on the USFS’ plan to build fuel breaks on the south side of Sedona and VOC.
“We’re working right now to develop a proposal and work with our cooperators this summer, assuming we’re not running around the west, chasing wildfires elsewhere, to do that,” he said. “Within the next year, you should expect another presentation like this from us, talking about what treatments we might have in mind down here.”
Residents can stay informed during prescribed burn season, as the USFS typically releases news updates the week of a planned burn with details on location, size and where smoke is likely to drift. For the most up-to-date information, visit inciweb.wildfire.gov.
Sedona Fire District Yard Waste Drop-Off Days
The Sedona Fire District’s 23rd annual event accepts bagged leaves, grass and brush to reduce wildfire risk around your home.
Village of Oak Creek 6657 SR 179 Sat. & Sun., April 25–26, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
West Sedona School 570 Posse Ground Road Sat. & Sun., May 2–3, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
