New firefighters, equipment now available to combat Arizona wildfires
Arizona state Rep. David Cook, R-Globe, joined Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs on Friday morning at a central Phoenix fire facility in the signing of a bipartisan bill bolstering resources to combat wildfires.
The bill welcomes Arizona into the Great Plains Interstate Fire Compact. This enables Arizona to benefit from fire prevention, preparedness and suppression resources from other participating states. Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming make up the compact.
It was signed into law at the Phoenix Fire Department Emergency Operation Center off Lower Buckeye Road near 22nd Avenue.
Hobbs said the compact would lead to "quick response time and capacity, undoubtedly resulting in lives and property saved."
The governor explained that through the compact, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management will receive aviation equipment, ground equipment and firefighters outside what the federal government furnishes whenever there is a shortage of state resources.
"The support provided by the compact will take a huge strain off of local resources, allowing them longer recovery times before we engage in wildfire assignment or incidents. This will make sure that our firefighters are mentally, physically and emotionally prepared," Hobbs said.
Arizona State Forester Tom Torres praised the new law.
This "is a big improvement to the way we can respond and manage wildfires across the state this summer and throughout the foreseeable future," Torres said.
The signing and additional help comes as wildfire season in Arizona moves toward its summer peak. The Wildcat fire, which ignited Friday, so far has consumed more than 13,000 acres of land in the far northeast Valley.
Wildfires threaten rural Arizona and those who live there
The issue hits close to home for Cook — literally. While addressing reporters about the enactment of House Bill 2751, the four-term representative recalled how the June 2021 Telegraph Fire led to him and his family evacuating their home.
Wildfires impact rural Arizonans, or "people like me," Cook said under his beige 10-gallon hat as he recited incidents like the Woodbury Fire in 2019, the Bush Fire in 2020 and the Pipeline Fire in 2022. Cook also mentioned how Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers' family cabin in southern Gila County was lost to the Telegraph Fire.
The bill could not come at a more "critical time," Cook said, citing 25 active fires in more than 2,600 acres in Gila County and multiple wildfires in northern Arizona currently.
"Climate change is directly related to the severity of all fires that we experience," Hobbs said, pointing to droughts.
Hobbs credited Cook with adding an emergency clause to effectuate Arizona joining the compact on Friday upon her signing the HB 2751 into law.
"I know that this issue is personal for you. And I know that this will drive positive change for your constituents and Arizonans in every corner of our state," Hobbs told Cook.
Lawmaker praises bipartisan effort
The legislator extended his thanks to the governor.
"We can't address all the problems at one time, but we can address problems, and this is a prime example of when heads get together and find out what policies can be changed," Cook said about the bipartisan work behind the bill.
The governor, Hobbs said, fulfilled an expressed commitment to rural Arizonans by signing HB 2751 into law.
"She made a promise to us in rural Arizona that we will not be forgotten, and today is a sign in which she is keeping that promise. That our communities in rural Arizona, our businesses, our livelihoods are important," Cook said.
Reach breaking news reporter Jose R. Gonzalez at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter: @jrgzztx.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona joins Great Plains Interstate Fire Compact to combat wildfires