Flagstaff wildland fire captain urges five-foot 'zone 0' and building-code updates to reduce home wildfire risk

Neil Chapman, the City of Flagstaff's wildland fire captain, told the Water Commission on July 16, 2026, that the city should require a five-foot "zone 0" around new homes and update plant-placement guidance so embers falling on vegetation are less likely to start house fires. Chapman, who led the commission through a presentation on wildfire-adapted landscapes, said the measures focus on reducing ember-ignition pathways rather than on species alone: "We're not thinning for water. We're thinning to restore the natural conditions of the forest," he said, adding that vegetation right next to a house is the biggest concern.

Why it matters: Chapman said ember-driven ignitions are the primary way homes ignite during landscape fires and that small changes at the parcel scale can reduce neighborhood risk if widely adopted. He recommended updating the Wildland-Urban Interface code so all new construction includes a five-foot noncombustible buffer (zone 0) and noncombustible fences inside that buffer.

Chapman cited research and local pilot efforts during the presentation. He described SRP and ASU work on the Kaibab National Forest showing an early-year pulse in water yield after large-area thinning (an estimated roughly 230 acre-feet from a 3,400-acre pilot, which he equated to about 75 million gallons in its first year), but emphasized the primary goal remains forest-health and risk reduction. "We're not thinning for water," he said. He also described a pilot "soarscribe protection overlay" that uses lidar and drone data to map individual trees on development parcels so planners can retain significant trees while avoiding crown-fire hazards.

Chapman addressed how these measures intersect with other programs. He described the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) wildfire-prepared-home standard, now available in Arizona, and said jurisdictions that adopt strong parcel- and building-level standards can expect insurance-market benefits; Chapman cited New Mexico experience showing homeowners who meet IBHS standards have averaged roughly 15%–18% premium discounts. He also said the city is coordinating plant lists with water services and the arboretum to recommend low-water, appropriately placed species and to discourage planting junipers within the five-foot zone.

On cost, Chapman offered estimates for proposed building-material changes: noncombustible siding may raise material costs two to three percent in his example; some gutter covers for new homes would cost under $500. "If that means that homeowner is going to see a potential 18 to 20% annual discount in insurance premiums, that cost is going to be recouped pretty quick," he said.

Commissioners asked how the program would interact with HOAs and insurance inspections. Chapman said property owners should contact fire staff when they receive insurer inspections; the city can often make a public-safety determination that resolves conflicts with HOA requirements. He noted Colorado has state-level limits on HOA rules that contradict science-based mitigation but said Arizona does not yet have equivalent legislation.

The presentation also described outreach and retrofit options: free wildfire-risk driveway assessments, community Firewise outreach, and grant or incentive opportunities for retrofits and neighborhood-scale adoption. Chapman said the city plans to require zone 0 for new construction as part of the WUI-code update and will pursue pilot projects, developer coordination and code changes to avoid creating unintended tree-retention conflicts.