Wildfire Protection and Response

Due to the extended drought and extremely dry conditions throughout Arizona and the West, the threat of a wildfire in the vicinity of Las Vegas Ranch Estates has increased. It is important that you know how to protect your home and property from wildfires and what to do in the event of a local wildfire. See below for information on how to create defensible space around your home and suggestions on how to respond to a threatening wildfire, some reading material on what to have ready in case of evacuation, information on animal evacuations, and a map with escape routes.

Protecting Your Home and Property

The AZWrap Public Viewer provided by the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management provides a map of the wildfire risk by location for Arizona. According to this map, the wildfire risk for Las Vegas Ranch Estates is primarily rated as Low-Moderate to Moderate with one High-risk area. However, we believe this map understates the risk for our community: we have a high-fuel-density National Forest that borders our property on the western boundary, and traffic on Camp Wood Road increases the risk for grass fires, especially when the grass is high after a strong monsoon season.

According to the National Fire Protection Association’s Firewise USA website:

Research around home destruction vs. home survival in wildfires points to embers and small flames as the main way that the majority of homes ignite in wildfires. Embers are burning pieces of airborne wood and/or vegetation that can be carried more than a mile through the wind and can cause spot fires and ignite homes, debris, and other objects.

There are methods for homeowners to prepare their homes to withstand ember attacks and minimize the likelihood of flames or surface fire touching the home or any attachments. Experiments, models and post-fire studies have shown homes ignite due to the condition of the home and everything around it, up to 200’ from the foundation. This is called the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ).

We suggest you visit the Firewise site for suggestions on creating defensible space around your home. Better yet, contact Shawn Smith of the Williamson Valley Fire Department (928-717-2304). Shawn will do an on-site assessment of your wildfire risks and suggest mitigation measures.

Fire Evacuation Information

To prepare for and respond to a threatening wildfire:

We suggest that you sign up to receive Code Red alerts from Yavapai County. The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office now utilizes CodeRED® as its Emergency Notification System. With this service, they can send messages to residents and businesses within minutes with specific information when an emergency or time-sensitive issue arises. These alerts will give you an early warning in case a wildfire is threatening our area.
Check out the Arizona Emergency Information Network (AZEIN) which details what to do before, during and after a wildfire evacuation. Arizona's hot, dry climate is perfect for wildfires. In fact, more than 1,500 wildfires occur in Arizona each year. Wildfires often begin unnoticed and can spread quickly, igniting brush, trees and homes.
If you have horses we suggest you familiarize yourself with the Equine Emergency Evacuation (EEE) of Yavapai County website (https://eeeyc.org/). The EEE Mission is to provide the best possible outcomes for large animals affected by disasters in Yavapai County; the website is loaded with good information on how to protect you and your horses during a wildfire. We suggest you add the EEE emergency phone number to your phone (833.922.9333). If you call, EEE will provide the status of a specific fire and if there are evacuations. They will also advise where the staging areas are if one needs a temporary place to take horses. Please contact Cheryl Searer if you have questions (Cheryl Searer (clsearer@yahoo.com, 928.460.2957).
In addition to horses, many of us also have dogs, cats, and other animals. However, if a wildfire breaks out when you are not at home, emergency responders may not allow you back into your home to evacuate your pets. Therefore, it is very important to work with your neighbors to ensure that someone has access to your home and is familiar with your pets so they can be safely evacuated. Cheryl Searer (clsearer@yahoo.com, 928.460.2957) and Bob Whitney (bobwhitney@mtecom.net , 928.999.4655) have generously offered to lead this effort to organize teams that would help neighbors evacuate other's animals
If you are interested in being part of a team, please contact Cheryl or Bob. If you are not interested in being part of a team, please make sure you have other arrangements in place with neighbors. We suggest you review the Animal Disaster Services (ADS) website; this site has a wealth of information on preparedness for animal evacuations. They operate under the direction of Yavapai County Management Services to provide an Animal Shelter in Prescott, AZ during an emergency evacuation
And finally, here is a Las Vegas Ranch Estates map with our major escape routes identified. These are the main routes out of the neighborhood, but not the only ways out. Many of these lead to dirt roads that are in varying degrees of repair. Please familiarize yourself with these routes and any others that you feel are important. Also, please note that the Slate Road Exit route crosses the Kenson's private property. This route should only be used in the event that the North Camp Wood exit is blocked. The Kenson's have graciously offered to allow people to cross their property ONLY in the event of an emergency. Access is not granted for any other purpose.

Let's hope we are prepared for an event that does not occur. Again, please contact Cheryl or Bob to be included in the animal evacuation teams.