Fire chief urges residents to clear out vegetation close to homes and to be ready for possible evacuation orders
Given the fact that the National Weather Service (NWS) has deemed Sarasota County to be in a severe drought, in accord with the U.S. Drought Monitor, county Emergency Services Department leaders are urging the public to take steps to protect their homes from threat of fire and to be ready in the event an evacuation has to be ordered.
During a Jan. 13 presentation to the County Commission, Rich Collins, director of Emergency Services, noted that, “In my time in Sarasota County … this is probably the driest I’ve seen it this early in the year …”
Collins joined county staff in August 2014.
He added that the National Weather Service has determined that the county’s rainfall level is 50% to 90% below normal.
Although the county was very fortunate not to have to contend with hurricanes in 2024, Collins continued, that also was a factor in the situation in which the county found itself as it moved into the fall of 2024.
Usually, he pointed out, concerns about potential wildfires do not arise until March or April of a given year. Yet, because of the ongoing drought, and the prediction of above-average temperatures combined with below-average rainfall from this month through April, Collins said, “We will see a greater potential for wildfire threat this year.”
Fire Chief David Rathbun explained that the Florida Forest Service is the primary agency tasked with fighting wildfires in the state. Nonetheless, he said, fire department personnel have to be concerned with what they call “ ‘a wildland/urban interface area.’ That’s where those natural lands abut structures such as homes and commercial properties.”
Rathbun added that many people think of wildfires occurring just in “big, wide areas” in the eastern part of the county.” He pointed out, “It’s just not a wildfire issue out east; it’s everywhere in Sarasota County.”
The Fire Department, he continued, has a program through which its members work to mitigate threats in vulnerable portions of the county. “[It] actually helps the ecology,” he noted.
Areas where natural lands lie adjacent to housing developments are those that “give me the greatest concern,” Rathbun stressed. The Fire Department does not have the right to pursue mitigation initiatives on private property, he explained.
“The vegetation grows up right next to the fences,” Rathbun continued. If something sparks a wildfire, he pointed out, “The fence acts like a wick,” with flames spreading underneath a home’s eaves, “and then we’re fighting structure fires.”
Rathbun also explained that the Emergency Services staff uses the Florida Forest Service’s fire danger forecast. “We look at two things,” he continued: The Keetch-Byram Drought Index, which analyzes the amount of moisture in the top 8 inches of soil on a scale of 0 to 800; and the Fire Danger Index, which measures moisture in available fuel and relative humidity, with the ratings ranging from “Low” to “Extreme.” Wind speed and humidity are factors that determine those ratings, he noted.
Members of the public urged to stay informed about conditions
“The community really needs to keep in mind ‘Ready, set, go,’ ” Rathbun pointed out.
“ ‘Ready,’ ” he explained, “means you should be policing your properties now — making sure that the lawn is mowed close, that the vegetation is set back at least 30 feet from the structure, and gutters are clean.” Those actions help keep “embers from flying in” and starting a fire, Rathbun said.
In regard to “Set,” he continued, residents should stay informed about conditions in the county. They can check the county’s website and its Emergency Services Facebook page, he noted. Residents also should have a plan for where they can go if a wildfire threatens their homes, he added.
As for “Go”: When the news media reports that the county is calling for evacuations, Rathbun stressed, residents should depart immediately, instead of waiting to see smoke first.
Then Rathbun talked about the Fire Department’s decisions to implement burn bans, which are based on the Keech-Byram Drought Index. The county has been under a burn ban since Oct. 11, 2025, he pointed out.
“Everything outdoors [involving fires] is prohibited,” he continued, except for the following: fireworks shows for which organizers have received permits, prescribed burns allowed via permit, and cooking fires that are smaller than 2 feet by 3 feet.
This year, Rathbun said, the county Fire Department members have partnered with all of the other fire chiefs in the county to ensure that equipment has been repositioned to speed up responses to wildfires. Adjustments are made each day, he noted, based on weather forecasts.
The assistant county fire chief, Rathbun said, is charged with checking the fire danger conditions daily, in coordination with the National Weather Service. Then the details are communicated to the other fire departments countywide, he noted, so those chiefs can plan accordingly.
Countywide collaboration
Following Rathbun to the podium, county Emergency Management Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi reminded the commissioners that planning for emergencies takes place year-round. Although people generally think of county staff activating the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) after forecasts indicate a hurricane could strike the county, she explained, the EOC is ready “for any kind of hazard.”
Following what she characterized as a “strong conversation” late last year with Collins of Emergency Services and Rathbun, Tapfumaneyi said that the decision was made to bring together “all of the key stakeholders” for a workshop. That session was held on Dec. 10, 2025, she continued, with a slide showing a list of all the participating agencies, including representatives from a number of county departments.
The primary topics of discussion, she said, were notification processes and communication strategies, available resources at the EOC, and how best to respond to wildland-urban interface fires. Further, the attendees reviewed the alert process with the 911 communications center, Tapfumaneyi pointed out, and “We also created an internal information-sharing platform” that would be used if wildfires erupt.
Additionally, a plan has been created in regard to getting information to members of the public and the news media. “We reviewed our current capabilities to use our current state and federal mass notification systems,” Tapfumaneyi said.
Staff is encouraging residents who have not done so to sign up for Alert Sarasota, Tapfumaneyi pointed out. “That does allow us to pinpoint them in their neighborhoods,” she explained, in the event evacuations have to be ordered.
A public outreach campaign also has been planned, she said, including social media posts.
Moreover, Tapfumaneyi noted, a press conference will be scheduled in coming weeks, with all of the fire chiefs in the county present. The chiefs will stress the importance of fire safety during this dry season, she said.
Further planning is taking place, she continued, which will “fold in” the Sarasota County School District and entities that provide resources to the public in emergency situations, including the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross.
Staff will continue to send out the daily weather briefings that it has been distributing, Tapfumaneyi added, indicating that those are going to the commissioners, among others.
Returning to the podium, Collins of Emergency Services stressed, “The important point right now is for our citizens to be prepared,” so they will be ready if a wildfire flares. “We’ll keep you updated on any impacts or as conditions develop where we think there could be a potential wildfire,” he told the commissioners.
County Administrator Jonathan Lewis added, “You can see our team takes very seriously what the potential threat is to the region and to the entire state …”
Collins, Rathbun and Tapfumaneyi have made the concern a top priority, Lewis pointed out, ensuring that coordination and planning among agencies are taking place.
Conditions within Jim Neville Marine Preserve
Following the presentation, Commissioner Mark Smith told Collins that he recently had had the opportunity to tour the Jim Neville Marine Preserve, which is located in Little Sarasota Bay, in the vicinity of Osprey.
Many trees there were knocked down by the 2024 hurricanes, Smith pointed out. “There are burn piles all over the preserve.”
Constituents had asked him, Smith continued, to consult with the Emergency Services staff about whether a controlled burn could take place within the preserve, as a lightning strike or careless casting off a cigarette could spark a fire.
“It’d be a great training ground,” Smith added, “if you could helicopter [firefighters] in.”
Commissioner Joe Neunder concurred with Smith’s comments about the potential for fire in the preserve. When he visited the area about six months ago, he said, he saw evidence of lightning strikes from years past. “It is ripe for burning.”
Neunder expressed support for Smith’s suggestion about a controlled burn there.
Collins reminded the commissioners, “Wildfire … is part of the natural ecology of the state. … When [wildfires] happen, that’s good for the environment.”
Then Collin reiterated his and Rathbun’s emphasis on their concerns “for all of those areas” where private property rights prevent county mitigation efforts. He noted once more the focus on places with “a large amount of vegetation that is up against [homes].”