Wildfire Safety

Father holding his child on a patio, looking out into the forest.

Together We can be Prepared

Arizona’s hot and dry weather puts our state at risk for wildfires, from the forest areas of northern Arizona to the Valley where wildfire risk is rising. A lot of APS equipment, including the power lines that bring electricity to our communities, runs through these areas. That means, for APS, we prepare and respond to wildfires year-round. Here’s what we do to keep you and our communities safe and the power on.

How we prepare for wildfires

When there are no fires, we:

Reduce fire risk by clearing space, including vegetation or other combustible materials, around our equipment. Trees too close to power lines could pose a fire risk.
Work to keep the power on by protecting and strengthening our equipment.
Work with first responders to create response plans and coordinate in the event of fires.

When there are active fires, we:

Coordinate with emergency management to support their efforts including taking power lines out of service to help keep first responders safe.
Put safety first by doing extra visual inspections of equipment before restoring service in high fire-risk areas.
Stand ready by inspecting our equipment – sometimes from a helicopter – and having crews and replacement equipment on standby.
Rebuild when it’s safe to enter the area, fixing or replacing damaged equipment to get our customers' electricity back on as quickly and safely as we can.

How you can prepare for wildfires

Remove vegetation/trash

Mow grass and weeds. Thin and prune trees and shrubs. Throw trash away properly.
Make sure there is no vegetation around poles or other electrical equipment on your property. Download our vegetation management guide.

Have an emergency plan

Have resources ready

Have flashlights, batteries, a portable cell phone charger and extra water on hand.

What to do if there is an outage

Your safety is our first priority as we work with your community and first responders to monitor the situation. Please be aware power lines may be temporarily taken out of service to protect first responders when they enter at-risk areas, which could result in extended outages. Thank you for your patience if this situation occurs.

Here is what you can do if there is an outage:

Use our interactive outage map to check the latest updates and estimated restoration times on current power outages in your area.
We care about your safety and want to keep you informed with alerts if there’s an outage in your area. You can help us by making sure your contact information is up to date. Learn more about alerts at aps.com/alerts.
Keep refrigerators and freezers closed as much as possible.

Turn off and unplug all unnecessary electrical equipment and appliances.

Stay Safe During Wildfires

Keep you and your family safe in the event of a wildfire:

If you see a downed power line, stay at least 100 feet away and call 911 first, then APS at (602) 258-5483 (metro Phoenix) or (800) 253-9408 (other areas).
Sign up for emergency alerts through local resources.
Create a preparedness plan using resources like Ready, Set, Go! in the event of an emergency.

Check out this video for more information.

View APS's Comprehensive Fire Mitigation Plan filing with the Arizona Corporation Commission.