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Parks and Recreation Department Adds Smoking, Charcoal to Mountain Preserve Fire Ban for 2005
May 12 , 2005 by EditorThe Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department will ban open fires in city mountain preserves* effective May 14. For the first time, the 2005 fire ban also will prohibit charcoal fires and smoking outside of enclosed vehicles. The Parks Department added smoking and charcoal fires to the ban, in consultation with the Phoenix Fire Department, to respond to the fire danger from exceptional brush and grass growth this winter in the Phoenix mountain preserves. The fire danger will continue to grow as vegetation continues to dry out, temperatures rise and humidity levels drop.
For those using the preserves, the fire ban stipulates the following:
- Open, wood and charcoal fires are prohibited in any part of the Phoenix mountain preserves or desert parks.
- Smoking outside of enclosed vehicles is prohibited.
- Propane or gas grills may be used but only in established picnic areas.
Motorists traveling through or near Phoenix desert preserves should exercise extreme care with smoking materials and use only their vehicle’s ash trays to dispose of smoking materials.
To protect their homes, residents whose property borders the preserves may remove dry shrubs, brush and grasses and trim dead branches from trees within the ten-foot strip of preserve bordering their property. By creating this ten-foot “buffer zone,” residents can help to protect their homes from brush fires in the adjacent preserve. Before removing vegetation, residents should contact Park Ranger staff by phone or e-mail to review their removal plan. Preserve neighbors also should check irrigation lines and pool back-flush hoses to ensure that water is not seeping into the preserve. Outside water sources encourage dense vegetation growth, which increases fire risk.
Residents can get brush removal information or make inquiries by calling (602) 495-5458. The Parks Department has created a Web page with comprehensive fire ban information at phoenix.gov/parks/fireinfo.html. The Web page contains an e-mail form residents can use to send questions to park rangers, comprehensive information on brush removal and details on the fire ban.
*The ban applies to Camelback Mountain and Papago Park, all areas of the Phoenix Mountains, South Mountain Park/Preserve and North Mountain and its adjoining areas. The fire ban does NOT apply to traditional city parks.
