TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Arizona's wildfire season begins in the spring with high wind speeds fueling fires. But during fire season or not, Tucson Fire Department's Deputy Chief of Operations Barrett Baker said it's important to be prepared for emergencies.
To prevent a fire at home, Baker said the first thing to do is to clear any brush and dead branches from around the home.
"We’re trying to take away that dead combustible material that could take a fire that’s on the ground and take it to the actual house itself," he said.
And he said it's important to have an emergency bag ready to go filled with essentials like water, batteries, a phone charger and non-perishable food items. He also said in the same bag or another one, people should put important documents, cash and even family photos.
"In Tucson we don’t have natural disasters, but if we do have to cut the power because of a cold streak, are you ready?" he said.
But there is a way to know if your home is in a fire zone. FEMA has a website called the WUI Fire Property Awareness Explorer that shows if your home is in an ember zone or ignition zone. Click this linkand type in your address to see if it is in a danger zone and how close the structure is to the nearest wildland.
"If you're at a specific location, but that wind is whipping at 40 miles per hour, those embers are going to get pushed down wind," Baker said. "And that's the challenge so even though your house is isolated and you don't have a lot of combustible material, but if an ember lands on your roof and you have wooden shingles, then that's where you can get those fires."
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Tina Giuliano is a reporter for KGUN 9. She is a native Arizonan and grew up in Scottsdale. Tina is passionate about storytelling and is excited to work telling Tucson's stories. Share your story ideas and important issues with Tina by emailing tina.giuliano@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
