Ahead of the 2025 Arizona wildfire season, Arizona Public Service Northern Division Director Frank Sanderson and Yavapai Emergency Management Director Ashley Ahlquist gave a fire season presentation to the Sedona City Council on Wednesday, March 26. They focused on APS’ Public Safety Power Shutoff program for high-risk days and the installation of AI-powered came designed to monitor wildfire outbreaks.

“First off, we have 1,500 circuits, or what we call feeders, that run through our surface territory here in Arizona, and 237 of those feeders are in a high fire risk fire mitigation area,” Sanderson said. “Ninety-five percent of those circuits are in Northern Arizona. With the current lack of moisture, heat and the state of the fuels especially here in Yavapai County and Sedona, it is a cause for concern.”

As of March 28, the National Integrated Drought Information System considered all of Yavapai County to be experiencing drought conditions, with over 75% of the county classified as being in extreme drought. Year-to-date precipitation for the area has been 2.74 inches below normal.

Power Shutoff

Sanderson discussed APS’ Public Safety Power Shutoff policy, the first of its kind in Arizona, which was implemented in May 2024 and uses automated weather stations and cameras on power poles in combination with software to determine whether or not to shut off power to certain areas in an effort to prevent fires due to downed lines.

The system has not yet been used.

“The PSPS is a tool of last resort, it’s going to be planned, it’s something we’re going to have advanced notice of, as well as the residents,” Ahlquist said.

APS plans to notify customers of shutoffs by email, text and/or phone. Sanderson said that three areas around Sedona will be affected by potential shutoffs, one around Cathedral Rock with “between 600 and 800 customers,” one in Oak Creek Canyon from the Sterling Springs Fish Hatchery to Owenby Way that serves a similar number of customers and one around Enchantment Resort that serves 27 customers.

AI Smoke-Detection Cameras

Sanderson said that APS is installing automated smoke and fire detection cameras built by the AI PANO company at over 30 locations across the state. Cameras already detected the Brady Fire, which started on Feb. 10 in the Prescott National Forest, when it was less than one acre in size.

“These cameras can tell the difference between a hot muffler rather than an actual fire,” Sanderson said. “When it detects fire, it instantly sends a text and an email to our fire mitigation team, and from there, we can get in touch with our emergency services.”

APS Supervisor of Construction and Maintenance Susan Young previously said that similar cameras had been installed in Oak Creek Canyon and Jerome, with two more planned for the Verde Valley.

“With some of the changes in politics, the Forest Service isn’t able to hire seasonal employees like they normally do, and from my understanding, some of those seasonal employees are fire watchers,” Sanderson said. “Two AI cameras of ours caught that fire. It was able to triangulate the exact location.”

Sanderson suggested the Sedona Airport as a suitable location for such a camera, saying that “I will hang it there myself if I have to,” but he added that the meeting was the first time he had made such a proposal.

Sedona Emergency Manager

The city’s budget process this year will include the option for the council to hire an emergency manager. City Manager Anette Spickard subsequently said she did not have an estimated salary for the position but it would be similar in scope to Ahlquist’s duties.

“Our person would be for Sedona specifically and why I think it’s important is because we’re split between the two counties … there’s a more complexity of coordination, because we, this person, will have to work with both county emergency managers,” Spickard subsequently said. “Right now [Sedona Police Chief Stephanie Foley] handles most of that, we need to have  a dedicated person.”

Spickard also proposed the position could involve creating an emergency volunteer team to canvas neighborhoods to pass out information on Firewise Communities.

Power Line

Council members asked about APS’ proposed 13.7- mile transmission line between the Village of Oak Creek and McGuireville that would include an overhead line at Kel Fox Trail and require a 3.6-mile trail realignment. The U.S. Forest Service has stated the line is unlikely to affect property values or significantly increase fire risks. APS has stated that the line would not be subject to the PSPS but would undergo regular wildfire mitigation maintenance.

The Big Park Regional Coordinating Council nonprofit opposes the overhead line and has asked APS to bury the lines, citing fire risks and aesthetics.

Councilman Pete Furman proposed creating an improvement district that would allow customers to request undergrounding of power lines if they were willing to pay for the project.

“Most people do not go for it because it is very expensive,” Sanderson said.

Public comment on the APS proposal has closed and a final decision is expected in May, followed by construction work beginning in June, according to the Coconino National Forest’s website.

“This topic of undergrounding, I don’t think is going to go away,” Councilman Brian Fultz said. “We’re not here today to get into the equation that you use to decide yay or nay on undergrounding. But I have to think that the court of public opinion is not going to be kind for you to decline to move to underground in at least the areas that are at that highest risk for wildfire … I think that you’re going to continue to hear an outcry over it and a belief that it needs to be done. And at a minimum, you’re probably going to have to be able to be more transparent in presenting the reasons why not to underground where you’ve got these folks who are very concerned about it.”