Arizona is preparing for the upcoming wildfire season. It is expected to be a tough one with long-term drought complications. Arizona has already tackled a few wildfires in recent weeks, which comes with rising concerns of urban sprawl and having enough personnel to battle fires.
John Truett, Fire Management Officer for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the risks Arizona is facing this wildfire season.
“Its putting a real draw on our resources,” said Truett when talking about how the “urban sprawl” effects fighting the fires. “Its going to be a problem for the homeowners. They are not going to be able to get insurance out there.”
Part of Arizona’s heightened wildfire risk stems from the historically hot March, which shattered multiple heat records and marked the earliest day on record that Phoenix hit triple‑digit temperatures.
“That March really had is in a panic,” he said. “We were looking at an early active fire season. Right now with the average temperatures below [100 degrees], it kind of helped us out I think we are dodging a bullet with the weather that’s in now.”
This year, state leaders are stepping up efforts to prevent wildfires. Seven AI-powered cameras have been installed across Arizona to detect smoke early and alert dispatchers before fires spread.
“They are another tool in our toolbox,” Truett said. “We look at those smokes as how violent is that smoke. That’s how we can tell what the fire behavior underneath that is. And it gets our response and our response resources out there quicker.”
