FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Sheriff’s Department will be holding a Woods Watch Training on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 from 6-8 pm at the Law Enforcement Administrative Facility, 911 E. Sawmill Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86001.

Please remember that to continue as a Woods Watch Participant, we need you to attend / renew this training annually and complete an updated application / waiver form.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP at 928-226-5012 or sheriff@coconino.az.gov

Concerns about dry conditions, wind, and the impending Wildland Fire Season are on the minds of many community members in our cities and unincorporated areas of Coconino County. Community members can help keep our communities safe through a partnership with government and public safety agencies by volunteering for the Woods Watch Program.

To sign up, community members need to attend an approximately 2-hour training and complete a simple application process. The training and application need to be completed / renewed annually to ensure all information is current.

The Woods Watch Program is similar to Neighborhood Watch and is of vital importance in residential areas that interface with forested land. Volunteers are trained to assist local officials in watching for and properly reporting people accessing closed areas or people who are using fire carelessly or against fire restrictions, especially on forested lands. Community volunteers make a commitment to join local law enforcement officers to keep our communities and our forests beautiful, safe and free of wild land fires.

Each year over 100 volunteers have attended Woods Watch training and assist by being good witnesses to suspicious activity occurring on or near our forested lands and communities. This first class of this year will be held on June 15, 2016 at 6:00 pm in the Law Enforcement Administrative Facility Auditorium at 911 E. Sawmill Rd, Flagstaff, AZ. Please register by calling (928) 226-5012 to help us plan accordingly.