Pine-Strawberry Fire District

Chief Gary Morris wanted me to share the funeral services information for BJ Boatman. There will be many agencies there to honor him and represent fire and forest personnel from all over. Reminder that the services are for the family and very close friends/co-workers only. Please respect their wishes. I am sure there will be live coverage from the news stations, as well as on Facebook. We basically just ask that all of us here on the mountain, take a few moments at 10:00 to say a prayer for him and his family in their time of grief and his ultimate sacrifice.

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ALL AGENCY AND FIRE DEPARTMENT ATTENDEES AND EQUIPMENT ARRIVE AT 0800 FOR PLACEMENT; Agency employees to attend in Nomex pants and crew shirts or uniform shirts, please no yellows.

Date: Sunday July 19th, 2020

Location – Heritage Funeral Chapel, 6830 W Thunderbird Rd, Peoria

Time: 0800 Arrival; Honor Guard begins casket watch (FWS, FS, NPS, BLM)

' 0845 Viewing (Family Only)

' 0930 Opportunity for agency coworkers to pay respect. This will be very quick and due to numbers limitations, we’d ask that only those with direct working relationships/friendships with BJ to enter the funeral home for paying respects. All others will stand in honor outside as friends and family arrive for 10:00service.

ALL AGENCY REPRESENTATIVES MUST BE OUTSIDE BY 10:00

· 10:00 Funeral Service – Family Only*

*The service will be streamed on BJ Boatman’s Facebook page, also attempting to project service outside the funeral home.

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JULY 2, 2020 The Tonto National Forest will go into it's Stage III restrictions, Forest Closure. Some lakes and forest roads will remain open for day use. Please go to www.fs.usda.gov/tonto and click on Closure Orders & Restrictions in Effect.

WE ARE UNDER FIRE RESTRICTIONS AS WELL, PLEASE READ BELOW FOR ALL RESTRICTIONS AND ORDERS. There will be no tolerance for restriction violators.

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Gila County follows the Ready, Set, Go format for preparing for any evacuations. 

We should always be in the READY stage. Living here in the Rim County, you should always be prepared for Mother Nature to stir up some chaos.  Being Ready means that you have a preplan, some things packed and  are ready in case of an ordered evacuation. 

The Set stage is where you are put on alert for the possibility of evacuation. You can finish gettig packed and ready. Just remember, depending on where and when a fire breaks out, you may not have time or much of a warning. That is why the Ready stage is important to have all the time. 

The Go stage is when you are ordered to Go! right then and there. No more stages, follow signs out to safe locations. 

Click on the Ready, Set, Go! above for examples of the 5 P's in evacuation planning and packing.  

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We are under Stage II Fire Restrictions. NO OPEN FIRES IN OUR DISTRICT.  These restrictions include:

1. No camp, warming, bon, cooking fires/fire rings allowed

2. No Charcoal cooking allowed

3. No discharging/shooting of firearms, air rifles, or gas guns allowed.

4. No Fireworks, explosives or pyrotechic devices allowed (These devices are always prohibited).

5. No welding or outside "Hot work" without a special permit. Fence Welding and Hot work for business can still conduct business with special permits and working conditions. Please contact the fire stations for those permits and rules to apply. 

You may still use, with precaution and constant manning;

1. Gas operated BBQ's used for cooking only. Defined as metal framed devices fueled by a gas or propane source with an on and off switch. 

2. Electric or gas operated "smokers" are permitted where the divices combustible smoking materials are confined within the metal container. These materials cannot be dumped or removed to an outside location. These devices must have a turn on/off switch.

3. Gas/propane operated "campfire" devices are permitted as long as it too has an on/off switch. 

These devices must all have an on/off valve or switch that immediately extingushes it's flame. NO EXEPTIONS!! 

4. Chain saws, lawn mowers, and weedeaters may still be used for the purpose of clearing vegetation and maintaining properties for the reduction of fire danger. They must be used in a safe manner to insure sparks are not producted. 

It is strongly suggested that a fire extinguishing method is in place at the time of use, a water hose or fire extinguisher. Also a "fire watch" person as an added protection. 

We, along with Gila County, will have ZERO TOLERANCE with anyone who violates these orders and restrictions. Talk with your neighbors or any visitors and help us spread the word as well as helping to save our communities from a disasterous fire. Thank you.  

 COVID-19 INFORMATION  Please, know what to look for, know what to do, know how to respond. Contact your doctor for mild symptoms. Use your medical insurance info call numbers to talk with a doctor/nurse. We, first responders, have limited supplies of protective equipment and we need to save them to use while treating the truly sick/ill. Possible allergies or catching a slight cold can be handled thru your doctor's, ins. calling systems, in store clinics, and proper self care. Thank you for all your support in this crazy time right now.

WASH YOU HANDS, after handling money and touching door handles and your steering wheels & keys, as well as thru-out the rest of the day. Clean you phone's and don't forget those nasty remote controls.

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 The approved budget for the Pine-Strawberry Fire District 2019/2020 yr. Budget 19/20

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THE FIRE DANGER TODAY IS: EXTREME-We are under fire restrictions until further notice. NO outside fires, burning, or charcoal cooking.

Burn permits are required for all outside brush and vegetation burning once restrictions are lifted. Please call for more information.

 Pine-928-476-4272

Strawberry-928-476-2313

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  Due to the forest closure of the Tonto Natl. Forest, the Pine Brush Pit is closed until the closure is lifted. We thank you for your cooperation and support.

We do not manage the Brush Pit. For questions & information call 602-842-1955 or go to the Pine Strawberry Fuels Reducation website and/or Facebook pages.

Thank you for doing your part to Firewise and help prevent wildfires.