HOA Fire Evacuation Plan In Place For Arizona Community

For one Arizona cabin community, forest fires are a huge risk. This is why one resident has come up with an HOA fire evacuation plan.

An Increased Risk of Forest Fires

The Kohl’s Tonto Creek Subdivision has been a Firewise community for 16 years now. Fire preparedness has long been a part of this association’s DNA. But, one resident took the initiative to come up with a more comprehensive plan.

Bob Higel recently presented his fire evacuation plan to the rest of the community at their summer potluck. Higel, who has been the Firewise chair of the HOA since 2013, developed the plan himself.

Fire safety and risk has always been a chief concern for the resident. But, his concern has swelled this past year due to the rising forest fire activity in the state.

With the HOA fire evacuation plan, Higel wants to educate residents thoroughly so that they know what to do in the event of a forest fire.

Preparedness Is Key

Part of the plan includes providing every cabin in Kohl’s Tonto Creek with a black backpack marked “Ready, Set, Go”. The contents of the backpack include a Firewise preparedness plan, a laminated map depicting evacuation routes, and a white bandana labeled “evacuated.”

The preparedness plan consists of a list of websites that provide information about fires in the area. The map, on the other hand, shows residents how to evacuate to Highway 260 on the west and Camp Tontozona on the east. Finally, the white bandana is meant to be tied to doorknobs or fences. This will alert firefights that a cabin has been evacuated.

At the potluck, Denise Wagner, the HOA’s vice president, suggested adding other helpful items to the backpack. These include medications, flashlights, water bottles, and face masks.

Doing the Work

Fire evacuation plans aren’t one-size-fits-all — and Higel knew that. He wanted to design a plan that specifically catered to the needs of his community.

Higel dedicated a lot of his time over the last year to researching evacuation information, including from the Arizona Emergency Information Network. He also looked at the evacuation plans that associations in other states use.

To facilitate a smoother evacuation, Wagner coordinated with the staff at Camp Tontozona to let residents from Kohl’s Tonto Creek cross their property.

Higel and Wagner are not the only ones doing their part, though. Residents of the community also participate in an annual spring Clean-up Days event. During this event, neighbors would work together to remove fire hazards such as pine needles and other flammable materials from their properties.

And while their Clean-up Days certainly play a big role, Higel wanted to create a concrete plan that would help everyone when a forest fire actually hits the community.