With a theme of “Preparing Together,” Arizona Public Service (APS) is teaming up for this year’s Southwest Wildfire Awareness Week (March 26-April 1) with several public safety agencies, to spread the word about how to best prepare for and prevent wildfires.
“Each year, we see fire risk grow from the mountains deeper into urban areas,” APS Fire Mitigation Supervisor Wade Ward said in a news release. “Wildfire seasons are becoming more and more unpredictable, and it’s important we all do our part to keep communities safe. At APS, we work hand-in-hand with firefighters, develop plans to reduce fire risk, make upgrades to keep our grid resilient, and partner with homeowners and businesses to be prepared.”
Arizona’s fiscal year 2023 budget included $65,000,000 for wildfire emergency response, among millions more on ancillary costs.
At APS, reducing the annual number of wildfires has become a way, with this week’s list of events being largely promoted to inspire residents to become even more vigilant in protecting their communities from such dangers.
Along with working in conjunction with other state and federal agencies, APS’s fire preparedness strategy includes inspecting more than 18,000 miles of power lines and clearing overgrown vegetation, clearing no less than 10 inches of defensible space around infrastructure, installing advanced power grid technology to manage all such risks and updating outage restoration protocols to reduce fire risk during elevated fire conditions.
APS officials also advise residents to build a go-kit with supplies, including non-perishable food items, water, flashlights, batteries, and a portable cell phone charger. In addition, they suggest having a plan and emergency contacts ready.
Found in 11 of the state’s 15 counties, APS serves upwards of 1.3 million homes and businesses and is viewed as a leader in delivering affordable, clean, and reliable energy across the Southwest, with the company standing on a goal of serving customers with 100% clean power by the year 2050.
Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
