Sponsored by PAWUIC
Prescott Area Wildland/Urban
Interface Commission
| When there is vital, urgent or emergency public information in the Prescott, AZ, Metro Area and the rest of Yavapai County, you will find it on this website. Local government agencies will post alerts as quickly as possible on such events as wildfires, evacuations, prescribed burns, police emergencies, weather-induced road closures, water or gas main breaks and other notices of key importance to the public. |
INDEX TO STORIES BELOW:
(Just click on those that interest you)
News Advisory, Oct. 22, 2003--WILDFIRE ACADEMIES ACROSS THE USA-- The following is excerpted from an article in "Firehouse" magazine, written by former Fire Chief Robert M. Winston of the Boston Fire Department, now a Prescott resident.
“During the past several years there was quite a bit of discussion among some Arizona Fire Service personnel, looking to develop a true wildland fire-training academy. The Arizona State Fire Training Committee (ASFTC) took a hard look into this possibility. The record-breaking wildfire season of 2002 together with the Rodeo/Chediski Fire brought about the impetus that culminated in the first Arizona Wildfire Academy (AWA) March 11-16, 2003. The venue chosen: Prescott, Arizona.
“The need to cross-train structure and wildland firefighters and to get the structure firefighters qualified and Red Carded was very obvious. AWA was in great part an answer to those training requirements.
“Support for implementing the new academy came from ASFTC, Arizona Department of Emergency Management, Arizona Fire Chiefs Association, the Ponderosa Advisory Council, Arizona Fire Districts Association, Prescott Area Wildland/Urban Interface Commission and the staff of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, to name but a few of the supporting agencies.
“Kori Kirkpatrick was chosen as Coordinator with Summit Fire District Fire Chief Don Howard as Incident Commander. Direct support came from local area fire departments, i.e., Prescott F.D., Central Yavapai Fire District, Summit F.D. and from Prescott National Forest officials.
“Many people who desired to see the Inaugural AWA succeed expended a great deal of time, effort and cooperation. And, it was a huge success. Approximately 400 certificates of course completions were handed out to students attending 16 classes. No other wildfire academy has had such a high first-time attendance. Another first was the Forest Health Summit that was conducted by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano at the AWA site the day before the Academy began as she officially kicked off the event at the Academy mixer.
“Here are the comments of student Tom ‘Jersey’ Fox who is a cross-trained wildland firefighter employed by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service: ‘I was a little apprehensive about attending the Inaugural Arizona Wildfire Academy. But soon after my arrival, I was made to feel at home with fellow firefighters. We are a family...we train together and we respond as one. Upon completion of the courses, the men and women firefighter students came away with a sense of accomplishment and much more....friendships were made as well as knowledge gained that made us better firefighters. In my opinion and that of so many others, the Academy was a rousing success and my thanks to all involved. Well done!’
“Said AWA Coordinator Kirkpatrick: ‘I had never coordinated an academy before. I was really excited about it. Other wildfire academy coordinators met with me and gave me tremendous support and direction. They told me that I should travel to other academies and learn the ropes. So, that is what I did.
“‘As far as the AWA is concerned,’ she continued, ‘it was a huge success. It turned out better than the staff or I thought it would. The staff and the instructors were terrific. These were fire people that knew how to use the Incident Command System (ICS) and that helped to make the academy work very well. I am so proud of all who helped and I was amazed at all the work that was done, much of it as volunteer time.’
“And AWA Incident Commander Summit Fire Chief Don Howard added this thought: ‘While the Academy is directed towards all wildland firefighters, we have made special considerations to the rural structure fire departments, many of whom are volunteers. The collaborative effort of interagency cooperation between the wildland agencies and the structure fire departments is one of the greater strengths of this academy.’
“The next Arizona Wildfire Academy will be conducted at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott. Contact: Kori Kirkpatrick, AWA Coordinator at: firecamp@localnet.com.”
News Advisory, Oct. 8, 2003--FIREWISE INFORMATION ON THE NET -- One of our Interface Commission members has located a wealth of firewise information on the Internet to pass on to you. Its address is:
If you click on the address above, it will take you to that site now. Should the type size in any of the on-line publications appear too small to read, just go to the toolbar above the text and click on the Zoom-In/Zoom-Out button.
News Advisory, Sept. 18, 2003--‘FILE OF LIFE’ CAN BE A LIFESAVER FOR YOUR FAMILY--Yavapai Regional Medical Center, through its Volunteer Services Department, is providing “File of Life” packets upon request to all residents of the tri-city area.
The “File of Life” is a bright red plastic pouch with a magnet attached, designed to be hung on your refrigerator. A form inside provides all the medical information for emergency personnel to help you in a health-related crisis.
The form includes:
Having this information accessible is the key to receiving prompt and correct treatment in a medical emergency--and this doesn’t just apply to persons living alone. It’s not unusual for family members to panic and become confused when something suddenly goes wrong with a loved one. That’s just when the “File of Life” is most needed.
You can also request a wallet-size pouch for your wallet or purse or to put in the glove compartment of your car. In addition, you’ll receive bright red stickers for your front door and other prominent locations to let emergency responders know you are part of the “File of Life” program.
For more information and to participate, call the YRMC Volunteer Services Department at (928) 771-5678. There is no charge but donations are welcome.
Advisory, October 12, 2003—RANCHO VISTA EMERGENCY EVACUATION ROUTE NOW IN PLACE--A four-year project involving two homeowners associations, the Prescott Fire Department and the Central Yavapai Fire District (CYFD) has resulted in a new escape route for residents in and around Rancho Vista Hills in the event of a catastrophic wildfire.
The new connector, about 100 yards long, begins at the northern end of Rancho Vista Drive near the Hassayampa Golf Course. Where the road ends, a gate with a break-away lock allows traffic in an emergency to connect with Woodridge Lane, then proceed down to Golf Club Drive, out to Hassayampa Village Lane, spilling out finally onto West Gurley St. You can see the area on this Map Link. (Detail 2)
Prescott Fire Marshal Ted Galde and CYFD Fire Marshal Charlie Cook worked with various agencies of local government, with Hassayampa Troon, developers of Hassayampa Village and with the Rancho Vista Hills Homeowners Association to clear the way for the new exit because the only other escape route is down Copper Basin Road, which would likely be highly congested in an emergency.
Residents in the southwest portion of Prescott are urged to familiarize themselves with the evacuation corridor by driving down to the point where the gate now stands. If an evacuation order is given, it will only take a hammer blow or a tire iron to snap the inexpensive lock so that the gate can be opened to all outgoing traffic.
Marshall Galde tipped his firehat to those who have jumped through so many hoops to make the new route a reality. “It’s taken over four years, but I’m a patient man,” he said. “I’d like to commend both the Hassayampa and Rancho Vista Hills Homeowners Associations for their cooperation in making this escape route posible.”
News Advisory, Aug. 31, 2003--STAYING UNDER .08 IS FINE, RIGHT?....... WRONG!--
If you’re driving, or in physical control of a motor vehicle with a .08% or higher Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC), you know that you’re subject to arrest. But if you think that being under a .08% BAC makes you immune from arrest and prosecution, think again. The law says differently.
Arizona Revised Statutes state that it’s unlawful to drive while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, any drug or any inhalant that contains a toxic substance (such as glue) or any combination thereof....if the person is “impaired to the slightest degree.” And that’s true at any time, not only when checkpoints are being manned.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office warns that additional saturation patrols and checkpoints are planned for this month and the rest of the summer. Says Special Crimes Unit Deputy James Tobin, “We must all do our part to make it safer to travel in Yavapai County.”
In the last several months, Sheriff’s Office deputies have been passing out questionnaires asking Prescott area residents how they feel about DUI checkpoints. Of the 152 forms returned so far, 94% expressed approval of this kind of law-enforcement activity. It’s clear that as a citizenry, we want the drunks and the druggies off the road.
Here’s how you can help prevent a friend from drinking and driving:
News Advisory, Aug. 30, 2003--THIS WEBSITE--AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME--This is a special backgrounder from your Website Monitor to tell you how this website came to exist and why it’s so important that you tell everyone you know about it. Friends, neighbors, work associates, people you know from church or synagogue.....and especially people who reside in or near Prescott National Forest and who live every day with the risk of wildfire.
The Cherry Fire [Map] in June and the Spruce Fire near Walker [Map]on July 6 and 7, 2003, underscored the need for a single source where residents of Prescott and surrounding communities can turn for real-time information when disaster strikes...or threatens to strike.
From the moment when the Cherry prescribed burn escaped fire lines and turned into a wildfire until it was contained and controlled, this web page received 1,030 log-ons, a clear indication that local people are highly concerned about the potential behavior, the awful risk, of any fire.
When the Spruce fire ignited near Walker, only a few miles from Prescott, interest and concern doubled: this “Alert” webpage recorded 2,183 log-ons from 7:15 p.m. Friday night until dawn Tuesday morning (7/8/03).
If you’d like to know how this website came to exist at all and how it continues to flow information to you about all issues of public safety, read on.....
The idea occurred to a local citizen in August, 2002, when he was driving home to Prescott up Highway 69. From the top of the hill at the Prescott Resort, he spotted a cloud of smoke on the southwest horizon and became worried and concerned. Once home, he phoned the Prescott Fire Department, then the Prescott Police Department, lastly the Yavapai Emergency Management Office.
None of these government agencies knew anything about a fire or had any information whatsoever. The citizen, now getting desperate for some explanation of that giant cloud, phoned the Forest Service office on Cortez Street, and this time hit the jackpot. The fire turned out to be a prescribed burn and was under the control of Forest Service personnel, so there was no cause for alarm.
When the citizen asked if there was a website in the Prescott area where people could get immediate real-time information about wildfires, he was told “No, there isn’t, but you could call Al Bates, the chairman of the Prescott Area Wildland/Urban Interface Commission (PAWUIC) and tell him you think there’s a need for it.”
That phone call initiated a chain of events. The citizen was invited to the next Commission meeting and presented his idea to a group of some 30 government representatives and volunteers. The proposal was unanimously considered viable and a committee was formed, led by Bill Gallaher, vice-chairman of PAWUIC. The citizen was invited to join the committee in an advisory role.
Months of work ensued to establish such a site. Top officials of every government or quasi-government agency in the local area who are connected with public safety were contacted. In every case where it was possible to do so, these agencies signed onto the program and Public Information Officers were assigned to feed information to a website that still needed to be created and developed.
It took more than a year to accomplish all this. A volunteer webmaster, Karen Bronson, built the first design--the one you see with ponderosa pines as a light gray background--and subsequently Mark Davis, General Manager of CommSpeed, an important local internet provider, agreed to operate and maintain the site as a public service.
The citizen who had initiated the idea was, of course, drafted to lead the overall effort. Such is the nature of volunteerism. Every day since PAWUIC made the leap into cyberspace, he has been your Monitor, starting shortly after 5 a.m. to round up information for you and help protect you and your family.
At first, even with the help of publicity stories in the Daily Courier, “hits” on the new site averaged about 60 a day, a drop in the bucket for a community of this size. But steadily the effort grew as Commission volunteers set up booths at public events and passed out both literature about creating defensible space and business cards bearing the address: regionalinfo-alert.org.
A major jump forward happened on July 7, 2003, when Cable One General Manager Dennis Edwards agreed to insert our website address into the "Fire Danger" information box that his company sponsors--at the top of Column l, Page 1 of the Daily Courier every day. By the end of July, the log-ons recorded by this website number in the hundreds every day.
Now, as a result of the cooperation of PAWUIC, Cable One and the Daily Courier, in any potential or real emergency, folks can turn to the newspaper's front page to be reminded of how to access the alerts, advisories and core information that we post daily.This advance will make it easy for you to refer your friends and associates who own computers to the exact spelling of this website: they only need to check the Courier on Page One, then make regionalinfo-alert.org a “Favorite” on their computer.
Another item: if you’d like to know more about the Interface Commission, what it does and how it came to be, just click on this web page: Interface_Commission. In a story labeled “BACKGROUNDER” Commission Past-Chairman Al Bates describes the even greater effort that was made to create the original PAWUIC.
Site design and hosting provided as a public service by:
www.commspeed.net