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Rim Wildfire Awareness Team urges Payson council to fund firewising measures and personnel
Summary
A leader of the Rim Wildfire Awareness Team told the council April 9 that Payson needs immediate action on wildfire preparedness, including funding personnel and equipment, staged dumpsters for community cleanup and training classes beginning May 3.
At the April 9 Town of Payson meeting, Bob Decker, head of the Rim Wildfire Awareness Team (RimWild / Firewise Guys), urged the council to fund activities to reduce wildfire risk and to create a dedicated team to support the effort.
Decker said a recent presentation by the fire department highlighted the need for personnel and equipment to defend the town from approaching wildfire risk. He asked the council to begin funding "firewising" activities and suggested placing a team on Parks and Recreation payroll to reduce pension costs. "The wildfire clock is ticking, and it really doesn't care about politics," Decker said.
He proposed concrete near-term steps including placing dumpsters at specific locations in April, May and June to allow residents to remove household items and yard waste, and he noted there is a free training class for interested volunteers on May 3. Decker said community cooperation and municipal support are necessary to lower the town's wildfire risk.
Ending
Decker asked residents and council members to learn more about the Firewise program and to support near-term funding and staffing discussions at future meetings. No formal council action on funding was taken at the April 9 meeting.
