As the summer sun begins to bake the desert the danger of wildfire continues to increase. Jeff Staples, a wildland fire boss with the Rio Verde Fire District, said conditions this year are as bad as he has ever seen.

The RVFD has two three-man wildland crews it can send across the west as the fire season gets into full gear. The district has a Type 3 engine that is usually assigned to structure protection in fire areas.

Last summer Staples and his crew arrived at the Yarnell Hills Fire just hours before the blow up wiped out the Granite Mountain Hot Shots.

While for the past several years the Rio Verde crew has been moved around Arizona, California and other parts of the west the Verde Communities have been fortunate that things remain quiet locally.

This is thanks in large part to the fact that both Rio Verde and Tonto Verde have been designated as Firewise Communities by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

According to Capt. Mike Roggenstien with the RVFD, the fire danger to the Verde Communities has been reduced due to the efforts of the Firewise Committees in both areas of the district.

Working closely with the Fire District the committees have assisted in obtaining more than $100,000 in grants over the past three years that have been used for fuel reduction programs.

The tinder dry brush and dead vegetation has been removed within a corridor that surrounds both communities as well as at Rio Verde Ranch.

This “defensible” space provides some protection from potential wildland fires within the adjoining Tonto National Forest or McDowell Mountain Park.

The Firewise committees have also worked closely with business interests and homeowners’ associations within the Verdes with fire fuel reduction programs in public areas and open space within neighborhoods.

Roggenstien said while it has taken years to complete the defensible corridor the work continues to maintain growth levels within the area.

The Verdes Firewise organizations do not receive ongoing support from their respective homeowners associations.

While the Rio Verde Fire District provides expertise and management oversight it does not provide any funding for the programs.

The Verde Communities have taken an additional step to assure long-term funding for the fuel mitigation projects. Together they have formed the Verdes Wildfire Protection, Inc., a 503 (c)(3) non-profit to manage tax deductible donations.

Besides contributions to the fund, residents have additional ways to support the Firewise Program into the future.

Residents are urged to submit landscape receipts that document efforts to protect property with the removal of dead plants, branches and bushes. Also, if they do this work themselves they can track and submit their “sweat equity” hours for the continued annual renewal of the Firewise certification.

Three members of the Rio Verde Firewise Task Force will attend a Firewise Assessor Training Program and will be available for homeowners to consult on protecting their property.

Additional information is available by contacting the Firewise Committee chairpersons for each community. In Rio Verde that is Eb Scheuing, 471-7393, and Tonto Verde it is Marty Bowin, 417-0004.