Cochise County is asking residents to take part in a short survey to help improve the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, according to an April 1 announcement. The plan aims to reduce wildfire risk and enhance safety for local communities.
Officials say that the survey takes less than three minutes and allows people living in the county to share their experiences with wildfire risks. The feedback will be used to identify priorities, support evacuation planning, guide mitigation efforts, and help determine future funding needs.
“Wildfire planning is most effective when it reflects the lived experience of the people who know these communities best,” said Dan Duchon, Cochise County’s director of Emergency Management. “Residents bring generational knowledge of the land, weather patterns, access routes and local conditions that cannot be replicated through data alone.”
The county encourages all residents—both full-time and part-time—to participate in the online survey at bit.ly/4jtfUAa. In addition, officials recommend signing up for free emergency alerts through AlertSense. This system provides notifications about severe weather, wildfires, and other emergencies from local agencies. Users can choose how they receive alerts—by text message, email, phone call or mobile app—and can register more than one location so that families can stay informed about multiple households.
Duchon said that timely information can save lives: “Taking a few minutes now to complete the Wildfire Protection survey and check your alert settings can make a real difference when it matters most.”
While community safety remains a priority for Cochise County officials, recent education statistics show ongoing challenges for students in local schools. For example, 70% of students in grades 3 through 8 did not pass the mathematics section of Arizona’s AASA test during the 2022-23 school year according to state education data. High schoolers also faced difficulties; only 27% passed math on the ACT exam during 2023-24 according to state education data. English scores were similarly low across both elementary and high school levels according to state education data.
Despite these educational hurdles—such as only 28.5% of third through eighth graders passing math on this year’s AASA test according to state education data—county leaders are urging participation in programs designed for community resilience.
