About

Mission The mission of Rio Verde Foothills Firewise is to engage and encourage our community members to participate in the Firewise USA program to help mitigate potential fire damage and spread within our boundaries; all while trying to protect our existing desert landscape. These goals will be achieved by working in partnership with Rural Metro Fire Department and other local agencies to combine the best educational practices and procedures to help protect people, property and livestock through property assessments, classes, mitigation, tools, meetings, social media and our website, along with community events.

Why join? By joining our free program, you will be participating in our Rio Verde Foothills community effort which encourages neighbors to work together to implement proven fire prevention strategies to better prepare for future incidents. You will become a stakeholder in our combined success! Free Firewise Inspection! By partnering with Rural Metro Fire Department, we are able to offer free Firewise inspections for your home. These inspections are valuable tools to ensure your property is as safe and ready for a wildfire in our area as possible. These inspections are confidential suggestions given by qualified inspectors. There is no pass or fail. You as the homeowner receive the only copy of the form for your records. The Firewise program gets credit for the time on the inspection to go toward our community goal. It’s truly a win-win for you and your neighbors. Our community has been extremely fortunate in the last few years… we have been surrounded by wildfires and have fared pretty well. But, how long will our luck last? Our community can’t be “Firewise” by relying on luck alone as seen in the recent California fires. By working together to identify and mitigate potentially dangerous areas around our properties and homes; our chances of surviving an incident greatly improve. By protecting yourself; you protect your neighbors. When each of us report our hours worked and/or monetary expenses to keep our properties as safe as possible to the Arizona State Department of Forestry and Fire Management through our Firewise program; you will help us maintain our Firewise USA designation, which is overseen by the National Fire Protection Association. Why is this program important for the Foothills? Our main goal is to promote community safety. Achieving the requirements for either the dollar amount and/or number of hours that you report is how we achieve our status. Hours reported are converted into a dollar amount by Forestry and their formulary to establish our totals. Once achieved, we are eligible for the following: Grants By having the Firewise designation; it allows our community to be eligible to apply for grants to help with new projects. It can be to help maintain a clear and faster ingress route for emergency vehicles as well as egress for evacuations. Classes and events. Community “dumpster days”. Identifying areas where Forestry and Fire Management can assist us to protect our outer barriers along with clear access to the forests for firefighting purposes. Helping neighbors who are unable to clear areas of concern, etc. Insurance Many of us have had our homeowner’s insurance premiums increase, or the worst-case scenario, cancelled. Your odds of keeping your current policy or finding a new one greatly increase by being a part of a Firewise community and having your property inspected. That service is offered free of charge through Rural Metro Fire Department. We have been extremely fortunate to work directly with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management to have certified Assessor’s on each shift at our local Rural Metro station for your convenience. We are becoming a role model for other communities in our area. We are one of the largest land masses, that does not have an HOA to protect or maintain our properties. We must protect ourselves.

What is Firewise? FIREWISE IS A 20 YEAR OLD NATIONAL PROGRAM managed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). It is co-sponsored by the USDA Forest Service, the US Department of the Interior, and the National Association of State Foresters. At the state/regional level, our efforts are overseen by the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. And we are proud to operate with input and assistance from our local Rural Metro station #826 in Rio Verde Foothills. Simply put, Firewise is a national recognition program for communities that take proactive measures to prepare for wildfire.

Who is Firewise? Firewise is you! Firewise is all of us! Homeowners helping each other, neighbors helping neighbors. Firewise is a non-profit group that relies on Sponsorships and donations. The Board… they are your neighbors! Our current directors are Debbie Catone, Rebekka Schwegler, Shawna Comber, Darren Jeffrey and Mike Mooney. Our goal is to provide our neighbors with current fire preparation, prevention, emergency planning and information pertaining to the Foothills. We hope to expand our team and our abilities to provide more resources as we grow! If you are interested in being a part of our team, see our Volunteer tab! Stay tuned for more updates, incentives and events!