by 
Pinal Rural Fire Rescue & Medical District has two new vehicles.
After having its petition approved by the Pinal County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 26, organizers of the new Pinal Rural Fire Rescue & Medical District (PRFR&M) have to hit the ground running to get the district fully operational as soon as possible.
The Board’s approval of the formation of PRFR&M was a formality as the organizers had met of the legal criteria. The District had its impact statement approved in early August 2014 and then within the one-year limit amassed the necessary signatures on a petition equal to 50% plus one of all homeowners with district boundaries that have are also valued at 50% plus $1 of all taxable property.
For the record, the PRFR&M petition secured 172 valid property owners (153 were needed) valued at $996,000 (with $975,000 required), according to Pinal County Treasurer Dodie Dolittle.
Boundaries of PRFR&M are the San Carlos Apache Tribe and Dudleyville on the north, the Pinal County border on the east, San Manuel on the south, and Oracle and Mammoth on the west. The district covers more than 100 square miles and includes Aravaipa Canyon, with State Route 77 the main road through the district.
PRFR&M succeeds Pinal Rural Fire & Rescue, a nonprofit volunteer fire department funded by subscribers, donations and grants that had served the area for several years. It differed from for-profit firms like Rural/Metro that sell its services only through paid subscriptions.
Board approval also made PRFR&M a special taxing district, enabling the district to fund its operations from a share of the Arizona Fire District Assistance Tax and from local property taxes. According to Turcotte, residents of the district would on average pay an additional $31 a year in property tax for fire suppression and first responder medical emergency services.
Governing the district will be an elected board of directors, thus giving citizens a voice in how the district is run.
When fully organized, PRFE&M will have full-time firemen working under Chief Rod Prast, along with reserve firemen working part-time, and volunteer firefighters providing backup support when bigger emergencies occur, said Steve Turcotte, chairman of the district’s organizing committee.
“Right now, PRFR&M is in the organizational stage, training additional employees and acquiring additional equipment,” said Turcotte, who also is a retired Rear Admiral of the U.S. Navy and owner of a local ranch.
“Based on past experience as a volunteer subscription firefighting agency, PRFR&M expects its mission to break down as 80% medical-related calls, 10% fighting wildfires, 5% structural fires, and 5% miscellaneous calls from citizens smelling gas or finding a rattlesnake on their property,” he noted.
“For this reason, all PRFR&M firefighters will have paramedic training so they can provide treatment for lesser medical problems or stabilize a person until an ambulance can be brought to the location,” Turcotte added.
This makes the district the only 24/7 fire-based paramedic service between Golder Ranch and Globe. Only the people with the most serious injuries and medical problems will be transported to hospitals in ambulances from Kearny Ambulance or Southwest Ambulance located at the fringe of the district.
PRFR&M also has plans to acquire additional equipment beyond its current two vehicles.
“The district has a steep and varied terrain that precludes getting any of those sleek and long hook-and-ladder trucks long made by companies like American LaFrance that do duty in urbans areas and as seen in movies and on TV,” said Chief Prast. “We will get shorter more agile vehicles geared for going down inclines into canyons or up into mountainous areas.”
The district is working with the Phoenix Fire Department and the State of Arizona to acquire a fire tanker than can hold 3,000 gallons of water. This will enable PRFR&M firefighters to put out blazes where there are no hydrants – which is the case in most of the district’s territory. Also on the list in a device that when dropped into a body of water like Copper Creek can pump out water into hose at the necessary pressure.
An EMT vehicles equipped with first aid equipment, oxygen tanks and an EKG device to enable paramedic firefighters to provide the best medical on-site medical care possible.
To save taxpayers funds, PRFR&M officials are looking into grant programs to acquire the additional trucks and equipment at the lowest possible cost, just as the predecessor volunteer subscriber service did.
As the only current PRFR&M fire station is located on Route 77 just north of Mammoth, the district plans to build a second station on the other side of Route 77 nearer to Aravaipa Canyon.
Beyond putting out fires and tending to the injured, PRFR&M will provide other services.
PRFR&M will work with the National Resource Conservation Service and the Arizona Forestry Service to prevent wildfires such as that which scorched a broad area near Kearny earlier this year. This will include clearing out vegetation that can fuel large roaming conflagrations and build in fire breaks ahead of time.
As an extension of its medical mission, PRFR&M will offer blood pressure checks and other basic medical services to senior citizens so they don’t have to travel to distant hospitals for checkups. The district has a Home Alone service where district employees will drop by to check on the health of seniors living by themselves. And the district will offer basic first aid courses including how to perform CPR free to local residents.
Current plans call for PRFR&M to be fully operational by Jan. 1, 2016, and able to complete all organizational upgrades by summer 2017.
In the interim, district employees plan to visit every household in the area to introduce the rural fire and medical service and its programs, Turcotte said.
“What the district is primarily providing is shortening the reaction time for fighting fires and medical emergencies in a heavily rural area outside of the towns of southeastern Pinal County. We can get out sooner than the fire departments of surrounding municipalities,” he explained.
PRFR&M is the 13th fire district to be created in Pinal County and the first to be created since Thunderbird Farms south of Maricopa in 2002.
James J. Hodl is a career journalist who has worked for newspapers, magazines and trade journals. A graduate of Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism, Hodl began his career as a reporter with the Palatine (IL) Herald and the Morton Grove (IL) Review before becoming editor of the trade publication Appliance Service News. In recent years, Hodl has had articles published in Consumers Digest, Good Housekeeping, Home Remodeling, Kitchens & Baths and Salute; and has contributed to trade publications serving the home furnishings, restaurant and casino markets. A native of Chicago, Hodl relocated to San Tan Valley in 2013.
by by