Welcome to beautiful Pine & Strawberry fire department

We are a full service, emergency response, fire district located under the north end of the Mogollon Rim in Gila County AZ.

***Currently No Fire Restrictions***

For more information, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/tonto or https://www.fs.usda.gov/coconino.

The information and downloadable file below outline what is allowed and not allowed during fire restrictions, what always requires a permit, and what is never allowed. We would also request that any Vrbo or Airbnb hosts within the Fire District post this information about fire restrictions in your rentals to help educate your guests.

PINE-STRAWBERRY FIRE DISTRICT FIRE RESTRICTION INFORMATION

WHAT YOU CAN DO UNDER FIRE RESTRICTIONS:

1. You can cook with gas or electric grills and pellet smokers or with charcoal. Ten feet of separation from combustible materials must be maintained. Charcoal must be in a container with a closeable top, such as a barbecue. Ashes from charcoal or pellets MUST be disposed of properly in a non-combustible (ie: metal, ceramic) container with ten feet (two feet if covered) of separation from combustible materials. Please note that when the Tonto National Forest enters Stage 2 restrictions, Gila County enters restrictions, and they do NOT have an exception for charcoal or smokers, only propane and electric.

2. You can smoke in an area five feet or more from any combustible material. Smoking materials must be disposed of in a safe manner.

3. You can burn bug repellant candles if properly separated from any combustible materials.

4. You can use gas fire rings.

5. You can use your chainsaw, weed eater, or mower in a safe manner. In rare, very extreme fire conditions, a permit may be required simply to ensure the device has a spark arrestor, a means of fire extinguishment is present, and a thirty minute fire watch takes place after work is completed. The PSFD is dedicated to allowing its residents to keep their properties safe from wildland fire.

WHAT ALWAYS REQUIRES A PERMIT, REGARDLESS OF FIRE RESTRICTIONS:

1. Open burning (brush, leaves, pine needles, etc.) always requires a permit. Bonfires (ceremonial fires larger than three feet in area and two feet in height) always require a permit. Neither bonfires nor open burning are permitted when winds are forecast in excess of ten mph, regardless of fire restrictions. Burning of trash is always prohibited.

2. Hot work (cutting, welding, and other similar flame, spark, or fire producing activity) always requires a permit.

3. PSFD permits are free, but require an inspection to ensure safety. Call (928)476-4272 to obtain a permit for open burning or hot work.

WHAT YOU CANNOT DO UNDER FIRE RESTRICTIONS:

1. You cannot build or maintain a recreational fire. Recreational fires include ceremonial, recreational, warming, and cooking fires (other than those described above). Regardless of fire restrictions, recreational fires must always be more than twenty-five feet from combustible materials.

2. Open burning and bonfires are not allowed under fire restrictions.

Although violations of the Pine-Strawberry Fire District Fire Code are a class 3 misdemeanor (with potential penalties of up to $500 or 30 days incarceration), it is our philosophy that we want to keep our community safe through education, education, and more education, with enforcement as an absolute last resort. Please help us keep you, your neighbors, and your property safe by being smart with fire. Call 928-476-4272 or visit pinestrawberryfiredistrict.com to find out if we are in restrictions.

As Wildland Fire Season Approaches...

We would like to share some information and pass on a few reminders. First, obviously, be careful with fire, cigarettes, ashes, and so forth, even before fire restrictions go into effect. But, many people do not realize that other things can spark wildland fires. Dragging trailer chains and other materials, along with flat tires, throw sparks and frequently start multiple fires. Make sure everything on your vehicle is secure and not touching the ground and your tires are properly inflated and in good condition. Hot brakes and exhaust systems can also start fires, especially if the vehicle is parked in any type of light fuel like grass, leaves, and pine needles. Be careful where you park, and keep your vehicle in good working order. Make sure all engines on UTV’s, motorcycles, and gas powered tools have working spark arrestors.

Ready: Prepare now. Set: Be alert. Go: Evacuate.

Are you READY?

This is the time of year to make sure you are in the READY status for potential evacuations. Have important items ready to go, and have multiple plans for how you will leave and where you will meet loved ones. Remember that there could be a fire on your normal travel route, so make sure you know alternate routes. When evacuations do occur, the Sheriff’s Office will generally give a travel route based on the fire location and other factors. One set route cannot necessarily be pre-planned for a whole community because we never know where a fire could start. Follow the link below to learn more about the Ready, Set, Go program. For evacuation zone maps for the fire district, click the Mapping tab above.

READY, SET, GO!

Gila County Health & Emergency Management. Prevent. Promote. Protect.

Make sure you get the RIGHT information.

If an evacuation does occur, be careful what information sources you trust. Gila County Emergency Management and the Gila County Sheriff’s Office are responsible for disseminating information in these circumstances, including via Everbridge. We make an effort to pass accurate information on, as well, via our website and social media. Please do not trust any other source for information, especially random social media users and comments. Please do not inundate Payson Police or Gila County Sherriff’s Dispatch with calls about evacuation status and return status as they are not necessarily privy to this information. Get ready now to access the appropriate on-line resources for accurate information. Below is a link to the Gila County Emergency Management website, with links to their social media on their page. There are also links to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office website, Facebook, and Twitter. If you have family, friends, or neighbors who are not “tech savvy”, please help them stay informed with accurate information.

Gila County Emergency Management

Now is a great time to Firewise!

Create survivable space around your home.

With the current trend in weather conditions, it would be reasonable to assume that we will enter fire restrictions earlier than normal in 2022. With that said, now is the time to get brush and limbs cut and weeds, leaves, and pine needles raked up so your property is ready for fire season. Once we enter restrictions, no burn permits will be issued. The Fuels Reduction Brush Pit off Control Road will open April 3rd, 2022, Sundays 8:00 am to 4:00pm and can be contacted at (602) 842-1955.

Below is a link to the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) Firewise program website. There are lots of tips on how to better prepare your home to keep it safe. We can also do a Firewise assessment to help you understand what steps to take. All shifts, as well as the Fire Marshal, have Firewise training. Also below is a downloadable list of tree and landscape contractors in the area and a poster of Zone Defense based on the Firewise program.

Please help us keep you safe.

Firewise Information

About Us

Still working on this section

THIS SECTION IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

Special Announcements.

Governor's Office of Highway Safety

The Pine strawberry Fire District is excited to announce that we have received a Grant to purchase new electric rescue tools. The grant was awarded by the Arizona Governor’s office of Highway Safety in the amount of $27,316.00 for the FY 2022. This money that was awarded to the district was used to purchase two electric rescue tools “the jaws of life” for both first out ambulances. The District was in great need of these tools due to the vast area that our ambulances cover that a typical fire engine cannot make it to. This equipment will allow the District to stabilize the vehicle more rapidly and decrease the overall extrication time. The responders will be able to immediately go to work extricating entrapped patients and thereby reducing their crash to hospital times. The Pine Strawberry Fire District would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Arizona Governor’s office of Highway Safety for aiding us in continuing to provide excellent service to our community.

OUR VALUES

Teamwork

Teamwork is the basis of our success.

We work as a team because we value each other,

the community and the citizens we serve

Integrity

Whenever we make a decision, provide a service or interact with others,

we act with strong character and integrity.

Trust

The foundation of our success is the trust we earn from the communities

we serve and the trust we have in each other.

Ethics

We take pride in maintaining the highest professional standards

in all of our services to the public.

Personal Responsibility

We will contribute positively to the Pine-Strawberry Fire Departments mission

and take ownership of our various roles and responsibilities.

Care and Respect

We treat the communities we serve and each other with care and respect.

Reliability

Our commitment to the public we serve is unwavering and consistent.

Welcome to beautiful Pine & Strawberry fire department

Currently No Fire Restrictions

Pine Strawberry Fire District Board Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 6:00pm.