COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN

A Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is developed to help local governments, fire departments, fire districts, and residents identify at-risk property to wildfire threats. Additional objectives of a CWPP are to:

• Mitigate the risk of wildfire
• Protect first responders and citizens by improving fire prevention strategies
• Identify funding needs
• Provide opportunities for collaboration with government and private entities within multiple communities.

The original Yavapai Communities Wildfire Protection Plan (YCWPP) was developed in 2004 and approved by the Arizona State Forester. The boundaries for this original plan encompassed a horseshoe-shaped area around the Prescott Basin and included 13 agencies representing Fire Departments and Fire Districts.

This revision of the YCWPP, which will address all of Yavapai County, amends, expands, replaces, and consolidates other previously dated versions. All County communities are included herein for the purposes of wildfire awareness education programs

The YCWPP is a County maintained plan developed through extensive collaboration with partners including, but not limited to:

• Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs
• Arizona Department of Forest and Fire Management
• Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority
• Director of Yavapai Public Works
• Groom Creek Fire District
• PAWUIC Firewise Community
• Peeples Valley Fire Department
• Prescott City Police and Fire Departments
• Previous Yavapai County Emergency Management Officials
• Sedona Fire Department
• Verde Valley Fire Chiefs Association
• Yavapai County Flood Control Office
• Yavapai County Geographical Information Systems
• Yavapai County Office of Emergency Staff
• Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office
• All other individuals from our community who have offered their expertise and support to help reduce wildfire risks during formal meetings, or informal conversations.

The current five CWPP Management Area boundaries were based on land ownership, type of vegetation, fire district boundaries, and township or range lines. The intended purpose of these Management Areas is to assist with prioritizing and grouping projects associated with mitigating wildfire within wildland-urban interface areas.

The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office is responsible for the safe evacuation of residents in the event of a wildfire or other emergency. Please help protect your family and property by being prepared. Register your cell phone and email on the  alertYAVAPAI  Emergency Notification system to receive evacuation information when there is imminent danger in your area. Notifications may occur in the order of "Ready, Set, Go!"

 Ready, Set, Go! 

Get Ready. Danger in the area that may require evacuations. Be prepared in advance to evacuate the most important things using the “five P’s” guideline: People, Pets, Prescriptions, Personal Needs and Priceless items. Ensure that your neighbors are notified and prepared.

Be Set. Remain alert and know there is significant danger in your area. Have your emergency kit ready and consider voluntarily relocating to a safe location, such as with family/friends outside the affected area.

Go! If you are notified to evacuate, go now! If you feel that you are in danger, don’t wait for notification, evacuate now. Follow instructions from emergency personnel and stay on designated evacuation routes while avoiding closed areas. Your cooperation is essential for response agencies to facilitate an orderly evacuation of residents and bring emergency equipment and personnel in to save property and lives.

For more information or a presentation on Ready, Set, Go! or alertYAVAPAI, please contact YCSO Public Affairs: PublicAffairs@yavapaiaz.gov, (928) 771-3260.

The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office is responsible for evacuations in Yavapai County. While it is always valuable to know multiple ways out of your residential area, please follow the directions for evacuation as provided by the Sheriff's Office to ensure you and your family's safety. There may be a specific route assigned for evacuations to allow for response vehicles entry into the area.

A note from the  Yavapai County Community Health Services : Before evacuation, if you have the opportunity, please turn off electricity and gas to avoid electrocution, fire, or explosions. Always be sure to take any prescription medications with you during an evacuation.

If you have difficulty evacuating from an incident due to functional mobility needs, please fill out the provided form and return it to the address located at the top of the form.  http://www.yavapaiaz.gov/Portals/39/PHPR/FunctNeedsForm6aRevised.pdf 

Wildfire Causes 

Humans cause up to 85% of wildland fires. Unattended campfires, debris burning, discarding cigarettes into the dry brush, chains brushing against roadways creating sparks, equipment malfunctions, and arson are the most common human causes of wildland fires. Learn more about wildfire causes by reading this engaging  National Park Service article . 

Notable Yavapai County Wildfires dating back to 2002

The fires listed were chosen because they were large (5,000+ acres) or threatened Yavapai County Communities. This list is by no means exhaustive, and more recent fires such as the Cellar Fire in 2019 or the Horse Fire in 2020 have not been included yet. 

During the 2020 Yavapai Communities Wildfire Protection Plan (YCWPP) development process, the Yavapai County Office of Emergency Management (YCOEM) and the Core Team analyzed the potential wildland fire risk for all lands within Yavapai County. The wildland fire risk analysis synthesizes the risk associated with fuel hazards, wildfire ignitions, and community values.

Wildland Fire Threat 

The analysis of wildland fire threat in Yavapai County is based on three factors: flame length, rate of spread, and ignition history. Flame length and rate of spread are related and modeled using FlamMap, whereas ignition history is based on reported fire starts across all land jurisdictions within Yavapai County for the past 10 years.  

Fire behavior (flame length and rate of spread) has been combined with ignition history as an influencing factor in the cumulative wildland fire risk analysis as wildland fire threat. 

Wildland Fire Effects 

The analysis of wildland fire effects is based on the community values at risk from wildland fire. This analysis identifies the areas in Yavapai County that would be most negatively affected if a wildland fire event were to impact them. Valued at-risk community resources include private and community structures. Areas of high structure density are rated as lower risk due to the structure-to-structure spread of fire and the reduced influence of wildland fire and fuels. Thus, the effects strictly from wildland fire are lowered.

Every property in the wildland urban interface needs to do certain activities at least once a year to ensure defensible space around structures. Trees need to be limbed up 3 to 4 feet off the ground, leaves should be raked and removed from the area, grasses should be mowed short and gutters should be cleaned. Dead and down limbs need to be removed regularly. Tree limbs should not be touching the structure or the rooftops. Landscape plants should not be touching any structure. General clutter should be removed.

This map is a broad strategic look at wildfire risk in Yavapai County. The data used was not intended to provide exact information for site-specific project implementation, but rather identification of areas with the highest relative exposures when planning projects. This depiction is a useful tool to prioritize locations for fuels mitigation or other work on private lands.

Residents living in a low wildfire risk area may be in populated areas. Structure density lessens the risk of wildfire but there is an increase in structure to structure fire spread. It is recommended that those living in these low wildfire risk areas keep their property free of excess clutter and maintain a defensible space around their homes. If your property has significant amounts of grasslands, please mow regularly when it is safe to do so.

Areas considered to have moderate levels of wildfire risk are often lightly populated. Residents in these areas will benefit from creating defensible space on their property. If you have a property that can be safely mowed, please keep your grasslands short, and shrubs and trees trimmed up 3-4 feet from the ground. Trim and remove dead branches and leaves regularly.

Residents living in high wildfire risk areas are often near large thoroughfares and located on the outskirts of populated areas. High traffic areas are prone to human caused wildfires from drivers dragging trailer chains, tossing cigarette butts, and vehicle fires. As Yavapai County has seen, these fires can start in the grasses along the roadways and travel quickly towards homes. Residents living in high wildfire risk areas can help mitigate their property from damage by creating defensible space on their property. If you are in an organized community, consider becoming a Firewise Site, or if you already are one, maintain your property to Firewise standards.

Residents and businesses in all areas benefit greatly from being prepared for evacuation. Wildfire is not the only hazard that may require an evacuation. Structure fires, flooding, Hazardous Material leaks, and human caused incidents may warrant an immediate evacuation. Please visit other areas of this website for preparedness information to support efficient and safe evacuations for your business staff, yourself, and your family. For more information on preparedness, or to schedule a presentation for your business or community please contact the Yavapai County Office of Emergency Management at (928) 771-3321. 

Climate impacts affecting the Yavapai County ecosystem have been identified as: increased temperatures, wildfires, forest health, post fire flooding, and drought. It is therefore important to track and project the impacts from wildfires on local communities from a climate change perspective.

Risk Assessment for Yavapai County

Warming is already driving an increase in the area burned by wildfires as well as an expansion of the fire season (Westerling et al. 2006). These trends are expected to continue with increased warming in the future. From 1984–2015, the area burned by wildfire was approximately 24 million acres, twice what would have burned without climate change (about 12 million acres) (Figure 26) (Gonzalez et al. 2018). The effects of warming are exacerbated by insect outbreaks, human settlements, and the 20th century policy of fire suppression, all of which contribute to increased fire risk in southwestern forests (Abatzoglou & Williams, 2016).

Given climate change projections, substantial increases in the area burned by wildfires are projected in the future as well (Hurteau et al. 2014). The National Research Council (2011) estimates a 380% increase in area burned in the Southwest with a 1° C (roughly 2° F) increase in average temperatures. Under higher emissions scenarios, fire frequency could increase 25% and the frequency of very large fires (greater than 12,000 acres) could triple (Gonzalez et al. 2018). In addition to the effect of the warming trend, human-caused fires are also increasing.

Wildfire Adaptation Strategies

Wildfire adaptation strategies include those related to emergency preparedness and individual risk reduction at the property level and those related to long-range land-use decisions that can increase or decrease a community’s overall fire risk at the wildland-urban interface (WUI).

• For emergency preparedness, communities in Yavapai County can continue and increase their participation in the Firewise USA program.

• The City of Sedona has existing initiatives with the Sedona Fire District and the U.S. Forest Service for community education around WUI wildfire risk reduction.

• Long-range land-use decisions also have an impact on wildfire risk, particularly as development encroaches upon previously forested and natural areas. Development pressures, as well as other community priorities such as increasing affordable housing, should be balanced carefully. There are many recommendations for mitigating the risks associated with expansion into the WUI.

If you are interested in additional information, please reach out to Yavapai Climate Change Coalition (contact information is under local agencies.)

Yavapai County Emergency Management:  https://www.facebook.com/YCOEM  or  https://www.yavapaiaz.gov/publicworks/emergency-management  (for those who don't have a Facebook account)

Yavapai County Sheriff's Office:  https://www.facebook.com/YavapaiCountySheriff 

Prescott National Forest:  https://www.facebook.com/PrescottNF 

ADOT 511:  https://www.az511.com/ 

Fire Information:  https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ 

Department of Forestry and Fire Management:  https://www.facebook.com/arizonastateforestry/ 

ADEQ Wildfire Support:  https://azdeq.gov/WildfireSupport   

Arizona Interagency Wildfire Prevention:  https://wildlandfire.az.gov/   

NWS Weather & Hazards:  https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/map/?wfo=psr