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Being prepared<br>for the worst

Under a canopy in Pinon Park Saturday afternoon, Grand Canyon National Park fire suppression manager Jim Kitchen tried to stress the importance of being prepared for a wildland fire.

Grand Canyon National Park fire suppression manager Jim Kitchen goes over defensible space techniques and wildfire threat with Pinon Park residents.

Defensible space techniques were discussed, along with what type of threat Grand Canyon may actually face. With northern Arizona in the hottest decade on record, seeing a wildfire sweep through the South Rim area is a real possibility.

“You’d have to have your head in the sand to think you’re safe here,” Kitchen said to a small gathering of about a dozen residents. “All these structures that are here, you can’t deny that, and we have to be prepared for it.”

Preparation for residents includes removing fire fuels from the home area, as well as knowing what to do and take in the event of an evacuation.

“We have to be prepared for these consequences, just like the people in Summerhaven,” said Kitchen, referring to the Mount Lemmon hamlet that was wiped out by a fire last week.

Fire department personnel went around the park Saturday helping residents with cleanup and giving advice on defensible space.

Although it does not seem possible in Pinon Park, Kitchen said the ideal situation would be have 20 feet of space in between tree canopies. Another difficulty in Pinon Park involves mobile home materials. Fires whip through metal structures like trailers devastatingly fast.

The event was all part of a planned series of defensible space “celebrations” and evacuation drills for park residents. Pinon Park was up first and there seemed to be only marginal interest.

Still, Kitchen was encouraged by the turnout.

“We had approximately 45 folks today; being a Saturday, a lot of people were not home,” Kitchen said. “For the next one, we’ll probably have it on a weekday evening.”

The U.S. Forest Service also participated in the event, mainly through advice for residents on cleanup tactics.

“Power lines are a big issue right now,” the Forest Service’s Bob Blasi said. “We need to contact APS.”

Some residents in attendance at the gathering said Arizona Public Service has failed to respond to dangerous situations involving branches and power lines.

Others expressed concern about Xanterra rules stating that tree branches cannot be cut. There was confusion among many residents about who exactly oversees their home, Xanterra, the park or another entity.

Propane tanks, which are necessities throughout most areas of the park, were a main area of concern. Kitchen basically said the tanks are “just little bombs” waiting to go off during a fire. He said there is not a lot that can be done to make propane tanks any safer.

At 3 p.m., firefighters went through Pinon Park announcing an evacuation drill. Residents went to the school soccer field area, which is termed as the nearest safe area in the case of wildfire.


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