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Forests and Rangelands Success Story

BLM Working with Community Partners to Create Home Ignition Zone Firebreaks
BLM Gila District, Arizona State Division of Forestry, and the Banning Creek Firewise Community Working Group, Arizona
National Fire Plan - Firefighting
2008

The Moon Canyon fire burning near Bisbee.
The Moon Canyon fire burning near Bisbee, Arizona.

A small plane drops fire retardent along the fire's edge of the Moon Canyon Fire.
A small plane drops fire retardent along the fire's edge of the Moon Canyon Fire.

The BLM Gila District, along with the Arizona State Division of Forestry and the Banning Creek Firewise Community Working Group, worked closely with the town of Bisbee to complete the Bisbee Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). One of the mitigation measures identified within the CWPP was the creation of Home Ignition Zone firebreaks (HIZ) around the neighborhoods closest to wildland interface areas.

After the creation of the CWPP, Banning Creek installed 18 HIZ firebreaks for homes within a quarter mile of BLM public lands. This became very important when the Moon Canyon Fire broke out on March 20, 2008, within 100 feet of homes. The fire caused the evacuation of 100 residents, and took 200 of firefighters 3 days to contain.

BLM is able to provide funding assistance to complete the HIZ firebreaks. For homeowners to be eligible to participate, there must be a completed and approved CWPP for their area, and the home must be within a quarter mile of BLM public lands. Homeowners interested in obtaining funds to construct a HIZ firebreak must also complete a release form, and submit a two-page letter describing the HIZ project. BLM has funding to assist 25 homeowners this year.

There are over 200 homes in the Bisbee area (which is the Gila District's highest risk community from wildfires) that would qualify for this program. This program is only offered to homeowners once, then after completion of the initial fuel break, the homeowner is responsible for maintaining the firebreak.

In the past six months, since the establishment of this firebreak program, BLM has offered and completed HIZ firebreaks in Sonoita, Cascabel, and Bisbee. BLM is also currently offering this program to the communities of Escuplue, St. David, Palominas, Tombstone, and Hereford.

After the completion of CWPPs in Pinal, Central Navajo, and Southern Gila Counties, the district's fire management program will offer further HIZ firebreak cost sharing. In the long run, this program should save the BLM money, because it will not be necessary to maintain strategic firebreaks near communities, since the communities will be protected with the best firebreaks available to them, HIZ firebreaks.

Contact: Dave Peters, Fire Mitigation/Education Specialist, 520-258-7207.