The Town of Superior, Boyce Thompson Arboretum and the Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) recently celebrated the designation of Superior becoming a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) FIREWISE community. According to DFFM, Superior is only the second community in Arizona to receive this important safety designation.
“This is an important milestone for our community,” said Mayor Mila Besich. “I am proud of our entire team and the support of the DFFM to help us achieve this important safety goal.”
Officials from the Department of Forestry and Fire Management, explained in a recent press release. “Following the Telegraph Fire in 2021, the Town of Superior actively engaged to create a safety plan for the community and residents to ensure their community and residents are protected from wildfires.” In 2022, Arizona Forestry awarded Superior with a $146,000 Healthy Forest Initiatives Grant to support a fuels removal project within the community. That money helped with construction of a nearly 32-acre, three-mile fuel break along the south side of Superior. The Town of Superior continued work on fire fuel mitigations with invasive species removal in Queen Creek as well.
The NFPA Firewise USA® program is a national program designed to help residents living in “Wildland Urban Interface” communities learn how they can make their homes and neighborhoods safer from wildfire. FIREWISE shows how to prepare homes to withstand embers and prevent flames or surface fire from igniting the home and its immediate surroundings. The conditions of neighboring homes and vegetation are part of the wildfire threat. It’s important that neighbors work with each other to reduce their shared risk.
“Wildland fire prevention strategies also include removing hazardous fuels to create fire breaks to separate the community as a whole from an advancing wildland fire,” said Town of Superior Fire Marshal Dallas Lane.
“Superior is using the FIREWISE program to help create an ignition-resistant firesafe community. Property owners and residents are invited to sign up with the Superior Fire Department for FIREWISE Assessments,” he said.
“The Superior Fire Department initiated the process of becoming a FIREWISE community in January 2021 (six months before the Telegraph Fire). We did not start the process of becoming a FIREWISE Community because of the near disastrous Telegraph Fire. However, the Telegraph Fire in June 2021 certainly reinforced the need and prioritized the program for Superior,” said Todd Pryor Town Manager.
The the steps to becoming a FIREWISE Community is a several-year process working with the AZ Department of Forestry and Fire Management (AZ DFFM). AZ DFFM is the state coordinator of the national FIREWISE Program. The process included:
• Extensive/detailed application describing the community
• Establishing the Superior Emergency Services Committee as the local FIREWISE Board
• Designating the Superior Fire Marshal as the FIREWISE Coordinator
• Submitting a detailed FIREWISE PLAN
• Conducting an extensive risk assessment of the community with DFFM including wildland fire threat, infrastructure, roads and streets, water system, fire hydrants, types of residential and commercial construction, capabilities of the Superior Fire Department, community evacuation, etc.
• Recruiting FIREWISE volunteers from the community to conduct the FIREWISE Assessments and work with residents to accomplish the goals,
• Creating the Superior Fire Department FIRE CORPS as the volunteer auxiliary of the Superior Fire Department. All FIREWISE volunteers are members of the Superior Fire Corps.
• Training the volunteer FIRE CORPS members to be AZ DFFM certified FIREWISE ASSESSORS (Fire Inspectors)
• Conducting FIREWISE community outreach events
• Conducting the FIREWISE Property Assessments and follow-up with the property owners and residents
• Maintaining an acceptable level of activity to meet AZ DFFM guidelines.
Superior FIREWISE Program Goals (taken from the Superior FIREWISE PLAN)
COMMUNITY PROJECT GOALS:
1 – The Town Of Superior will continue to maintain the Superior Fire Break as a permanent feature to protect the town from an advancing wildland fire;
2 – The Town Of Superior will continue conducting hazardous fuels removal from the Queen Creek wash. Due to the dense hazardous fuels and difficult accessibility, the Queen Creek wash presents the most significant fire danger to the community at large, and specifically the commercial district of the town;
3 – Continue the removal of dilapidated buildings and the removal of overgrown hazardous fuels from the associated properties;
4 – Through the efforts of the newly created Superior Fire Corps, promote the participation of residential and commercial property owners in FIREWISE activities;
5 – Continue to conduct FIREWISE and residential fire safety program outreach through regularly conducted community and special events. The Town Of Superior conducts special events on a monthly basis to promote the culture and economic development of the town. Events such as the Apache Leap Miner’s Festival and Superior Jackass Dash Burro Race are centered on Main Street and involve the entire community. Special events of some type are conducted almost every month. The Superior Fire Department operates a public safety/first aid tent at special events. The tent is staffed by FIRE CORPS volunteers who provide FIREWISE information and take requests for property assessments.
6 – Within the upcoming fiscal year the Superior Fire Department will host an ARIZONA HIZ ADVISOR / ASSESSOR TRAINING class presented by the AZ Department of Forestry and Fire Management. Superior Fire Department will promote surrounding agencies and communities to participate in the training program.