Phoenix outlines wildland‑urban interface preparedness: more resources, drone surveillance and regional coordination

City emergency-management, fire and water officials described Phoenix’s current preparations for wildland‑urban interface (WUI) fires at the Feb. 25 policy meeting, outlining preplanning, regional coordination, equipment and communications protocols the city uses during brush and mountain fires.

Assistant Chief Tim Scribe of the Phoenix Fire Department told the council the department maps WUI areas so those locations are incorporated into the computer‑aided dispatch system and so an enhanced initial dispatch is available when weather and fuel conditions raise risk. He described the WUI deployment package that sends multiple engines, brush trucks, tenders and command officers on initial reports in high‑risk zones — a change from earlier practice of sending a single engine and a brush truck — so crews can control fires early.

Scribe also described operational tools the department uses: joint prescribed burns where appropriate (he cited a partnership at the Tres Rios watershed facility), use of a drone program with thermal sensors to check for hot spots during mop‑up, and reliance on regional air assets from the Arizona Department of Fire and Forestry when available. He noted the Phoenix Police Department’s aviation unit can support Bambi‑bucket bucket water drops when mutual aid or state air support is limited.

Water services director (presented as Director Hayes) summarized the city’s water‑system capacity and redundancy that support firefighting: Phoenix operates five treatment plants that draw from Salt/Verde and Colorado River supplies; the distribution system is divided into 13 pressure zones and includes 57 reservoirs and tanks providing about 48,000,000 gallons of storage, with redundancy designed to meet peak demand and fire flows. Hayes said the system can be adjusted in emergencies and that an operations specialist joins fire incident command to advise on routing additional flow into affected zones.

Emergency Management Director Lee described the city’s role in unified emergency response: the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) maintains the city’s emergency operations plans, conducts tabletop and full‑scale exercises with county and regional partners, activates the Emergency Operations Center and Joint Information Center when necessary, and works with Maricopa County for alerts and resource coordination. Lee explained that OEM coordinates evacuations, shelters, family‑reunification centers and traffic‑management plans and that the fire public‑information officer leads outward messaging in incidents while OEM and city communications coordinate unified messages and, if required, county wireless emergency alerts.

Council response and public‑information notes: Council members praised the regional coordination and asked about redundancies in communications if wireless service were disrupted, hydrant pressure and inspection programs, and whether air support could be constrained during a large regional fire season. Officials said they conduct annual training, maintain operating procedures for WUI responses pursuant to regional standards, and continue fuel‑reduction and public‑education efforts (including defensible‑space guidance for homeowners).

Practical advice for residents: Scribe urged residents to maintain defensible space around structures, have evacuation plans and be ready to leave when emergency responders knock and warn of an evacuation. The department highlighted public resources on prevention and reminded residents that about 60% of Arizona wildfires have human causes in recent years.

No formal council action was taken; city officials said the presentation was an update on ongoing preparedness and interagency coordination.