On Friday, I spent the day with the Northwest Fire District. This was the first time that the Town had sent an intern to the Fire District, and I was happy to go.
You might be asking yourself, "Why does she keep saying district? It's the Fire Department." Northwest Fire District is a distinct entity and operates under separate guidelines and Arizona statutes. They are funded primarily through a property tax imposed on those buildings that are within its boundaries. NERD ALERT! It is $2.47 per $100 of assessed value of the property. This is on the higher side. However, because they are ranked as a class 3 with the Insurance company it makes your homeowners insurance less expensive. Learning this was just the first way I found that they protect and service the homes and businesses within the district. It is the largest district in the state, and encompasses 148 square miles. There are 250 employees and 10 fire stations distributed based on quickest response time.
I met with Chief Piechura and Financial Director Dave Gephart in the morning to talk about the history, structure and budget. The rest of the day I traveled around with Battalion Chief Mike Duncan. There are 10 stations within the district, and we visited 8 of them. Each station has a fire truck and some have a rescue vehicle. I was able to go up in the bucket at the top of a 100 ft ladder. This is used for helping those that are not able to climb down the ladder. I thought I would have been more terrified, but it was fine. They strapped me in and I wore a helmet so was safe as could be.
Of course they would not let me drive an fire truck, they are specially trained for that, but I did get to go on a ride with the guys at Station 39. All the fire fighters are consummate professionals. While they were taking me out they got a call from the dispatch and immediately changed gears from jocular friendly conversation to serious business. It made me feel that if ever anything should happen there would be a pro there to help. And also that they have been very well trained.
The final thing that I was able to see was a training session for how to find a lost fire fighter. When they are in a fire they are crawling around rather than walking, and the training center had set up a course where the testee had to find their way to the hose and then work their way out of the simulation. It was really awesome to see how they would actually have acted if it was a real situation. The main point of the training was to have non-management workers experience the decision making process of the leadership during a Mayday situation.
Northwest Fire has two apparatus that are unique to any disaster situation. They were both utilized during the January 8 tragedy. One is the Rapid Response vehicle, which is used during things like swift water rescues, it even has a zodiac on the roof of the vehicle. The other is a Metropolitan Medical Response System, which is meant to act like a mobile hospital should something similar to the tornado in Missouri. These both are amazing pieces of equipment and it was really amazing to see all the supplies that are incorporated in the apparatus.
I had a great time with these guys and they showed me the best hospitality. They are brave men and women who put their lives on the line to give people the help they need. Just a quick thank you to all the guys that were there to answer all my ridiculous and sometimes silly questions. Thanks to all at Northwest Fire!
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