In an effort to create defensible space around their properties, homeowners in the Quail Springs Ranch area met with Ivan Anderson, wildland coordinator for Verde Valley Fire District, and Brian Steinhardt, district management officer for the U.S. Forest Service. Concerns over possible wildfire, vacant lots in the area, the number of homes outside the fire protection area and the distance from the fire station, as well as creating a safer environment for the community, prompted the joint effort to educate homeowners about fire-wise techniques, according to a press release.

After this initial meeting, fire district and forest service representatives met individually with homeowners to assess individual properties.

Fire representatives explained the ladder effect and how the continuity of brush-impacted fire spread and speed. Homeowners were asked to prune or pick up any dead foliage around plants and bushes.

It was suggested that junipers and mesquites be limbed to 6 feet above the ground, and plants like scrub oak be thinned out to provide spacing between individual bushes. Each homeowner was provided with a checklist which they can use for their records and future reference.

Both Verde Valley Fire District and the USFS hope to work with other homeowners in this area, suggesting cleanup as well as landscape techniques, to help people to develop the best defense possible for their own safety and that of their neighbors.

The more risks individuals eliminate, the better prepared they are to protect themselves, but they also help mitigate dangerous situations for both fire and forest personnel during a wildfire incident. It is surprising how a few simple changes can make a significant impact on decreasing fire dangers.

While the district is initiating these efforts in the Quail Ranch area, anyone interested in assessing their own property can contact Verde Valley Fire District at 634-2578 for more information.