Jennifer Rios

SAN ANGELO, Texas -- Tom Lee said he remembers when a big fire was 6,000 acres.

"Things have changed," he said.

Lee, who ranches 10 miles north of San Angelo, said he's seen firefighting techniques improve and watched as people became more educated about that type of disaster.

At a meeting last month he and a handful of residents talked about simple measures landowners can take to help emergency responders -- keeping trees away from utility poles, having an adequate number of gates on a fence line, and knowing where heavy equipment and water wells are on their property.