Arizona’s wildfire seasons are growing longer, more intense, and more destructive. Arizona Public Service (APS) has responded with a new Comprehensive Wildfire Mitigation Plan (CWMP) that charts a course for protecting our communities and the landscapes we love. After reviewing the plan you can comment on it to the State Forrester by emailing your comments to: utilityplans@dffm.az.gov.
What APS Is Doing
Filed in February and compliant with new state legislation, the CWMP recognizes five pillars: vegetation management, grid hardening, asset inspection, monitoring and awareness and operational mitigations.
APS clears vegetation along utility rights-of-way and creates defensible space around equipment poles. Wood utility poles in high-fire-risk areas are being replaced with steel, and fire-resistant wrapping is being applied to those that remain. Older fuses and surge arresters that can shed hot sparks during failures are being systematically replaced with safer alternatives.
Perhaps most visible to residents during fire season is APS’s Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program. When extreme wind, low humidity, and dry fuel conditions converge, APS may temporarily de-energize certain high-risk feeders, including several serving the Verde Valley, to prevent electrical ignitions. Customers on affected feeders receive advance notice by text, email, and phone. For the most current information about the program, including which feeders are involved and how to register your contact information, visit www.aps.com/psps.
The utility is also deploying an expanding network of weather stations and AI-powered cameras across its service territory and uses fire-spread modeling to guide decisions. By the end of 2026, APS expects to have at least 200 weather stations and 65 AI detection cameras in the field.
What You Can Do
Utility preparedness is only part of the equation. As a resident, your property sits squarely in Arizona’s Wildland Urban Interface, the zone where homes and wildlands meet. That makes individual preparedness essential.
KSB strongly recommends that you create a defensible space around your home, at least 30 feet of reduced, well-spaced vegetation, with an extended zone of 100 feet or more on slopes. Clear dead vegetation, woodpiles, and other combustibles from under decks and near exterior walls. Use fire-resistant landscaping materials, and ensure your address is clearly visible to emergency responders.
Know your possible evacuation routes before you need them, sign up for Yavapai County and/or Coconino County emergency alerts and have a go-bag ready. If APS issues a PSPS notice for your area, treat it as a signal that dangerous fire conditions are approaching and act quickly.
Visit THIS PAGE on the KSB website for comprehensive information on wildland fire prevention and preparation.