In anticipation of the upcoming Verdes Firewise Day, residents in Rio Verde and Tonto Verde are invited to prepare their information on personal efforts to reduce potential fire encroachment on their property.

Landscape receipts and “sweat equity” hours can be turned in at the RVCA office to show residents’ individual efforts to mitigate fire hazards.

The annual Verdes Firewise Day is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, in the Rio Verde Community Center Multi-Purpose Room. All residents are invited to attend the 90-minute meeting.

The annual Firewise Day is just one of the requirements for Rio Verde and Tonto Verde to maintain certification as Firewise Communities.

Firewise is a national program of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). To obtain certification,  communities must commit to a goal of creating defensible space within the community to reduce the risk of wildfire. In the Verde Communities this means more than individual efforts but also a volunteer effort to create defensible space around the entire perimeter with the wildland desert interface with McDowell Mountain Park and Tonto National Forest.

Rio Verde and Tonto Verde were among the first communities to qualify for Firewise certification several years ago and have been able to maintain the certification on an annual basis.

Contact Rio Verde Firewise Coordinator Eb Scheuing at 480-471-7393 or ebscheuing@aol.com to have questions answered about the Firewise Day.