He also pointed out that no one knows when it'll happen, but his community's preparations will certainly help them out when it does.

Madden described himself as "a retired guy" and said he's working to make his community a little more safe on a retired person's schedule, working on the project when he feels like it.

Several years ago, Madden decided to make his home turf, the Paa-Ko subdivision off of N.M. 14 north of Cedar Crest, a Firewise Community.

The National Firewise Communities Program involves homeowners and others in an effort to reduce the risks of a wildland fire before a fire actually starts.

The designation for Paa-Ko was granted to the community late last year, thanks to the hard work of residents like Madden, the New Mexico Forestry Division, the fire department, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District. The existing layout of the subdivision had something to do with it, too.

Driving around Paa-Ko, Madden pointed out that there are two exit points and a couple of large water tanks on a hill. Those worked in the subdivision's favor when applying for Firewise status, he said.

"There's still a lot to do," he said.

Paa-Ko received 70 out of a possible 171 points. Like golf, a high score is bad.

In fact, a score of 70 to 112 means a community is considered "high hazard."

Paa-Ko scored the most points, 40 out of 40, because it has a lot of vegetation and a high fuel load.

Taking even a short tour of the area, one can see the difference between areas that have been thinned and those that haven't; it creates a kind of checkerboard along lot-lines separating homeowners.

Yet in spite of the fuel loads, Madden grins broadly when he talks about Paa-Ko's Firewise status. He said he's enjoyed getting to know his neighbors, which he has done in part through the Firewise program and community projects. To maintain its status, the community has to do about 120 hours of community service.

This time around, the project was clearing dead trees from a lot near one of the entrances to the subdivision.

"I've found that this has been a very good community building event," he said.

Refreshments were laid out for about 30 volunteers who worked for half a day chopping down the trees, then cutting them into firewood and running what remained through a chipper.

Most of the firewood was sent out to be distributed to local families in need and what was left over was distributed to the residents of Paa-Ko, who also took away some of the wood chips for landscaping.

Reduction of fuel loads is not the only thing that's important, though, Madden pointed out. The subdivision is also working on plans for evacuation. That's something that goes hand-in-hand with the area's Neighborhood Watch program.

Paa-Ko consists of about 350 homes, which are broken into groups of 20 to 30 homes. The groups watch each other's homes and try to increase communication among neighbors. They also work on their evacuation plans and other emergencies.

"Are high school kids trusted to take care of evacuation (in case of a fire)? Does the neighbor know a cell number of another neighbor to tell them, 'I've got Johnnie?' " Madden said. "Once you are Firewise, you take on a lot of desires to handle all the non-fuels type programs."

For more information on the Firewise program, go to www.firewise.org.