District 2 Supervisor Liz Archuleta — Coconino County enacts Stage Two Fire Restrictions

‘”Growing is the result of learning..”

– Malcolm X

The Board enacted a campfire ban in late April to protect the health and safety of firefighters during the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce the impact of poor air quality on those suffering from or at risk of COVID-19.

The Coconino and Kaibab National Forests will implement Stage Two Fire Restrictions across both forests at 8 a.m. Saturday June 13 due to increasing fire danger and the need to prevent human-caused wildfires during potentially dangerous fire conditions.

Stage Two Fire Restrictions prohibit:

The public is urged to exercise diligence in protecting the community from human caused wildfire. “This is an extremely dry period coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic. People need to exercise extreme caution,” stated Coconino County Chairwoman Liz Archuleta. “A single spark can have devastating effects with the potential to ruin peoples’ lives and destroy the forests we love. We strongly urge everyone to be fire wise and observe these restrictions. Reducing human caused wildfires will decrease the strain on fire agencies and resource limitations as a result of COVID-19 for both responding to an emergency as well as fighting wildland fires.”

Many parts of Coconino County are prone to wildfire. District 3 Supervisor Matt Ryan stated, “Living in a fire-based ecosystem requires a level of vigilance and understanding, part of this is understanding why we have these restrictions in place and helping the community by abiding with all fire restrictions.”

While activities, that don’t involve mechanical operations, such as lawn care, home construction and community clean-ups, are not specifically prohibited, residents and visitors should use their best judgment when considering whether to engage in any activity that could spark a fire. Anyone engaging in these activities could be held legally responsible.

For the full Wildfire Defense Ordinance and to sign-up for emergency notifications, go to https://coconino.az.gov/1778/Wildland-Fire.

Wildfire smoke is a mixture of small particles, gases and water vapor. The primary health concern is the small particles. Not everyone who is exposed to smoke will have health problems. Many factors influence a person’s susceptibility to smoke. These factors include the level, extent, and duration of exposure, age, and individual susceptibility.

Anyone who can see, taste or smell smoke should curtail outdoor activity. People with heart disease, lung disease or asthma should avoid the outdoors entirely, as should children and the elderly.

Typical symptoms of exposure to smoke include burning eyes, runny nose, scratchy throat, headaches, dizziness and nausea.

Closing windows and turning off evaporative coolers when smoke is present helps to reduce exposure to the smoke and should be adequate to protect persons without respiratory problems.

People with pre-existing conditions should avoid exposure to the smoke as much as possible and consult their physician if they have any questions.

When smoke levels are high, the appropriate protective measures should be followed.

More information about how to protect yourself is available at http://www.coconino.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/995.

The entries will be lined up and filmed in procession – complete with a Grand Marshall. The parade will make its worldwide YouTube debut on the Fourth of July at 10 a.m. for everybody to enjoy at this link https://www.youtube.com/CCCTV123.

“Our communities are really struggling right now,” said CCC President Colleen A. Smith. “And it seems like a good idea to celebrate our communities and our nation.”

The rules are simple:

Prizes will be awarded for the best float in the following categories:

CCC employees are encouraged to enter floats but will not be eligible for prizes.

Submit your float entries for the parade at the CCC webpage at this link.

https://www.coconino.edu/fourth-july-parade.

Deadline for entries is Thursday, June 25 by 5:00 p.m.

Drop off your creations at any of the Coconino Community College Campuses:

Have questions or need more information? Please call the CCC Office of the President at (928) 226-4217, or (928) 226-4397.

These figures are updated and will be shared every morning at 10:00 am in order tocoincide with the Arizona Department of Health Services release of data. We will continue sharing these figures in our daily newsletter.

Here is the information as of 06/12/2020:

The Coconino County Health and Human Services has issued a new weekly report entitled COVID-19 Coconino County Weekly Update.

The report, which includes a COVID-19 situation summary, key takeaways, demographic and geographic information, hospitalizations and testing data related to Coconino County residents, is updated each Wednesday morning at 10 a.m.

AZDHS just updated their COVID-19 website which now includes race and ethnicity on confirmed cases, location of confirmed cases by zip code, ages & gender of related deaths, and number of hospital beds & ICU beds available.

If you have not yet filled out the 2020 Census, please do so!

By filling out the census, you are ensuring that our community is counted and can receive the necessary resources we need to keep our community safe, healthy, and thriving!

Other important things to keep in mind:

You have the option of completing the questionnaire by phone.

To begin, call 844-330-2020 for English or 844-468-2020 for Spanish.

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