Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wildfire Protection topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pinetop Lakeside adopts 2026 wildfire protection plan after annual readiness briefing
Summary
The Pinetop Lakeside Town Council unanimously approved the 2026 Navajo County Community Wildfire Protection Plan after an update from Emergency Manager Katrina Jenkins and local fire officials who said about 70% of recent fires were human-caused and urged defensible-space actions.
The Pinetop Lakeside Town Council on May 7 unanimously adopted the 2026 Navajo County Community Wildfire Protection Plan after an annual briefing from Emergency Manager Katrina Jenkins and local fire officials.
Jenkins told the council the new plan replaces a 10-year strategy that was expiring and will operate as a five-year roadmap to identify mitigation projects, private-property grant opportunities and larger-scale forestry treatments. "Of all of those fires, 70% were human-caused. That means 70% of those fires could have been prevented," Jenkins said as she reviewed drought maps and recent fire statistics.
The plan matters because it gathers federal, state, tribal and local partners to prioritize treatments, grant applications and public outreach in the wildland–urban interface that surrounds Pinetop Lakeside. Jenkins said the White Mountain Fire Coordination Group reviews weather, forest-condition indices and local chief votes before recommending restrictions and that the new CWP is intended to guide those prevention and treatment investments.
A fire chief who spoke to the council emphasized residents’ role in mitigating risk at individual properties, saying "your homes are fuel as well" and urging action in the most critical zone: "0 to 5 foot. That is one of the most crucial areas that we need the homeowners to really dig in and pay attention to." The chief detailed why removing ladder fuels and clearing the immediate perimeter of combustible materials gives firefighters a better chance to stop structure loss.
Council members approved the CWP by voice/hand vote after brief questions about plan format and identified projects. Mayor Stephanie Irwin called the work "a team effort" involving town staff, public-safety partners and federal and state forestry agencies.
The plan’s next steps include tracking identified projects for the coming five years, applying for mitigation and homeowner-assistance grants, and continuing outreach on Ready, Set, Go evacuation planning and county alert sign-ups. The council recorded the motion to adopt the 2026 CWP and the vote carried unanimously.
