GREEN VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — With wildfire season on the horizon, residents of Green Valley are taking proactive measures to mitigate potential fire hazards. As part of Southwest Wildfire Awareness Week, the Portillo Ridge Firewise Committee has been working closely with the Green Valley Council to address growing concerns over dry brush in common areas and washes.
Portillo Ridge resident Timothy Gronseth voiced the collective worry of homeowners, noting how changing weather patterns have exacerbated fire risks. "It’s kind of scary when you think about how dry we are and the exposures we have," Gronseth said.
To combat this danger, homeowners like Mike Millikin have stepped up, clearing yard waste and reducing vegetation around their properties. "I hauled about 10 cubic yards of yard waste just in the last month from my own personal property," Millikin explained.
The Firewise Committee, led by Chairman Joe Fields, emphasizes the importance of reducing fuel sources for fires. "The Firewise plan is a mitigation effort to reduce and control vegetation that could pose a hazard to homeowners," Fields said. “But to do that, we need to manage it, obviously. Whether the grasses are invasive or native, we need to control that in the fire respect.”
In a recent meeting, the committee collaborated with the Green Valley Council to identify particularly hazardous areas, including the more than two dozen washes traversing the community. Council President Debbie Kenyon acknowledged the joint responsibility of various entities in addressing the issue, stating that ownership of these areas is shared between HOAs, private property owners, the county and Freeport-McMoRan.
Fields says the shared ownership presents challenges for clearing out hazardous debris. “We do have a greater fuel load both in our commons area and the wash areas,” Fields said. “This takes a specific and exact approach because they are in riparian areas. We have to use Firewise plans, yet meet our county expectations in working those areas.”
Fields says that the group is working on a “partnership” where county officials would provide Firewise practices on county-owned land.
The Green Valley Council plans to present a fire prevention plan to county and state leaders, seeking financial assistance for cleanup efforts. Additionally, the Firewise Committee is exploring potential grants and insurance discounts to incentivize proactive mitigation measures.
"It’s incumbent upon all of us to unite together to try to take care of any fire risk as best we can on our own property, but also work with officials that we have," Gronseth emphasized. “The more we can get the education out to homeowners to reduce the fire risk on their property but also support and reinforce the need to do that in the Green Valley community. Being proactive only needs to catch on more in this area.”
Portillo Ridge is one of eight HOAs in Green Valley that have earned Firewise certification.
The program, run by the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, works with homeowners and homeowner associations to prevent wildfire spread on their property.
For more information on wildfire prevention, residents can visit the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management's Firewise program website.
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Joel Foster is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9 who previously worked as an English teacher in both Boston and the Tucson area. Joel has experience working with web, print and video in the tech, finance, nonprofit and the public sectors. In his off-time, you might catch Joel taking part in Tucson's local comedy scene. Share your story ideas with Joel at joel.foster@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
