Federal Fuels Reduction Grant Awarded to Bisbee

The city is the recipient of a new grant to reduce the threat of destructive wildfires at our wildland/urban interface. A component of the Healthy Forests Initiative (aka the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003), the grant totals $121,824. Match funding has been contributed by the city, Freeport-McMoRan, and the Women & Children’s Hope Foundation. The grant comes to the city via the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, which is responsible for some oversight. The city will contribute staff time for grant administration and reporting and an area to deposit green waste; Cochise County will contribute dump day passes for other waste.

Fuels reduction creates defensible space to protect lives, property, historic assets and infrastructure like communications towers and water tanks. It gives firefighters more time to do their work in the event of a fire, keeping them – and all of us -- safer.

The goal is to treat 160 acres of land, a combination of BLM, state, city, ADOT, Freeport-McMoRan, Arizona Water Company, and private properties. The Bisbee Fire Department is currently contacting private landowners in target areas. They are putting a request for bids out soon, with hopes that work will begin late in the spring.

The desired goal is not a clear cut, but a targeted thinning which will include removing dead and diseased vegetation. Landscapes treated with this science-based “fire wise” technique can help slow the spread of wildfire and prevent dangerous, fast-moving crown fires in trees. 

Residents might remember a previous fuels reduction grant administered by Old Bisbee Firewise (OBF), which utilized the skills of the Douglas Wildland DOC crew. That project did not complete its target acreage, as the pandemic forced the DOC team to be sequestered.

There is no fire season anymore in Arizona: fires can and do happen year-round. Please take action to help us save Bisbee from fire by deploying fire wise strategies around private structures. Ideas and tips to keep your family and property safe are at Old Bisbee Firewise on Facebook and at our website: https://www.oldbisbeefirewise.org/what-can-i-do.

If you are thinking about re-landscaping, you can see examples of fire-resistant, low-maintenance and drought-tolerant plants at the Firewise Demonstration Garden at the Copper Queen Library Annex in San Jose. Please track the hours and/or dollars spent on any fire wise work: this helps OBF re-certify with Firewise USA. It takes just a few minutes to report your effort here: https://www.oldbisbeefirewise.org/report-community-cleanup.

Nine out of ten wildfires are likely human caused, so our actions matter: we can all help ensure our community’s safety by monitoring sparks from welding or other mechanical work, not parking cars over dry grasses, fully extinguishing cigarettes and disposing of them safely, and checking trailering chains to assure they do not drag and cause sparks.

As you might imagine, no fuels reduction work is forever: plants grow back, so this is something our town will hopefully continue to see and support as the years go by.

Old Bisbee Firewise helps educate residents how best to protect property from fire at the wildland-urban interface (that’s every property on the perimeter of Old Bisbee), but we’re happy to share info with EVERYONE in Bisbee!

Our new mascot Sparky, who you’ll see around town.

We have a few signs left: if you are interested in hosting one, please let us know at obfirewise@gmail.com

Local Real-time Conditions

Check here for Local Weather, Red Flag Warnings and local emergency updates from Cochise County’s Sheriff Department

Membership Benefits

OBF is committed to helping the residents of Old Bisbee become safer in the face of wildfire. The key is to reduce the “fuel” (anything that burns) load around your home. Check out the Emergency Preparedness section of our What Can I Do? tab for ideas and projects.

If you don’t know where to begin, we offer a FREE property assessment to point you in the right direction. Neighbors who have been trained as Firewise Community Assessors by the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management can walk your property with you to produce a list of projects you can undertake to make your home safer.

To maintain our affiliation with Firewise USA, we need to report the hours or dollars spent by our members each year: we need to prove we are taking action on our own behalf to reduce risk.

WE ASK VERY LITTLE

1. Spend one hour per year reducing fire risk at your residence

— OR —

2. Spend at least $28.54 to hire someone to perform that work

Sign Up to be a Member