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Prescott’s Fireside chipping and defensible-space efforts win early results as wildfire-risk program expands
Summary
Conrad Jackson and wildfire program staff reported increased homeowner participation in the Fireside chipping and defensible-space programs and cited fuel-removal and inspection metrics the city says are reducing wildfire exposure.
Conrad Jackson, the city’s wildfire risk manager, told council that the Fireside program — launched to help homeowners create defensible space and to support municipal chipping and grant work — is showing measurable uptake and generating documentation homeowners can use with insurers.
"We track all the numbers," Jackson said, summarizing the program's three functions: defensible-space inspections, the city-run chipping program and an implementation module to support grant-funded projects. He told the council that, since the program began, residents and crews have reported thousands of hours of volunteer labor and tens of thousands of dollars of homeowner investment to make properties more fire resilient. "As of this morning, it was 13,600," Jackson said, describing an updated total for hours or similar homeowner investment captured in the program database.
Jackson said the city provided 1,100 tons of fuel removal in 2024, completed 129 Firewise inspections and treated 450 acres to reduce wildfire threat. He also said the chipping crew operates weekly and reported that in one recent week they completed 20 chipping requests and had 12 additional households on a wait list.
The Fireside program also gives property owners a documented inspection report after a defensible-space inspection; program staff said some insurance carriers respond to that documentation when assessing renewals or nonrenewals, while others do not. Jackson urged residents to sign up for the free chipping service after completing the recommended yardwork so crews can remove cuttings, noting an outreach gap when residents leave cuttings at the curb without requesting the chipping service.
Wildfire program staff described partnerships with Recreation Services (which runs the city chipping crews), the Yavapai County Contractors Association and a third-party compliance vendor used for monitoring building fire-suppression systems. Jackson and other wildfire staff said they are expanding public engagement, improving contractor partnerships and strengthening investigation and investigator safety practices through intergovernmental agreements with CAFMA.
Council members also emphasized the role of outreach; one council member described personally observing piles of cuttings left at the curb and urged neighbors to both do the yard work and contact the city to schedule chipping. Wildfire staff said they will continue to track hours, acreage and homeowner investment as the program scales.
