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First Responders work on wildfire plan in Oracle last week. John Hernandez | Miner
San Manuel Miner
If firefighters in Oracle have learned anything, it doesn’t take much for a wildfire to spread and the best way to handle a situation like the Shipman Fire of two years ago and the Kearny River Fire last month is to be prepared.
On June 24, 2015 the Oracle Fire Department hosted a Wildfire Planning meeting for first responders in the area. Fire Chief Larry Southard, after personally witnessing the Kearny River Fire, felt it was important for Oracle and first responders to prepare for the same type of scenario in Oracle. Representatives from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, Pinal County Search and Rescue, Red Cross, Oracle Fire Department, Oracle CERT and Pinal County Emergency Management attended. The meeting was held at the Oracle Fire Department on American Ave.
The agenda included the Oracle Emergency Notification System; Special Needs/Handicapped Evacuees; Overview of Kearny Evacuation; Agency Communication; Refuge/Shelter Areas; Staging Areas for Deputies, CERTs, News Media; Oracle CERT Roles; Unified Incident Command; and Pinal County Emergency Management Roles.
An overview of the Kearny Fire evacuation was discussed. Issues of concern were communication problems between agencies and how the evacuation was handled. Suggestions were made on how to improve on these areas.
Another major concern was the evacuation of special needs/handicapped people should the need arise. Although the fire department and emergency responders will do their best to assist this group in evacuating during a major fire, logistics and man power make it difficult in arranging the evacuation of everyone in a safe and timely manner. Those people with special needs should have an evacuation plan in place. They are urged to make arrangements with family, friends and neighbors to help them should the need to evacuate become necessary. The Oracle Fire Department will be notifying those residents identified as having special needs to prepare for this type of emergency.
The Oracle Fire Department will be having more Wildfire planning meetings in preparation for what Chief Southard believes will eventually happen, a major wildfire. Oracle is a high risk fire area and it is not a matter of if it will happen but when.
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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