Fire Critic An Unadulterated View of the Fire Service
Here is yet another story of a house burning and a fire department not responding after being called.
Dave Statter can eat his heart out! I am sure that Chino Fire is to blame in Dave’s book! As for me, I am looking into more information on what is going on down there. The town of Chino Valley is located in Yavapai County. There are 18 Fire Protection Districts in Yavapai County. You can find more information on the fire districts here.
Read the Article here
Chino Valley Fire District (CVFD) received a request to respond to a structure fire on North Juniper Drive in Paulden on the morning of November 4, 2010. Because the property was located outside the boundaries of the Chino Valley Fire District, an engine was not dispatched. The Prescott Regional Communication Center received reports of a house heavily involved with fire. The house was completely destroyed by the fire. Approximately thirty minutes after the initial call, CVFD was requested by Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office to respond to a medical emergency at the same address. An engine was dispatched, found no medical emergency, and returned to the station.
This story is eerily to the South Fulton/Obion County fiasco a month ago.
Chino Valley Fire District Station 63
In this case, Chino Valley Fire District was called to respond to a house fire but did not because it is outside the fire district. Yet later, when there was a medical emergency at the house, the firefighters responded with an engine. There is no mention if the house was still burning, but most house fires don’t burn themselves out in 30 minutes.
Here is my question: Why would they respond to the address for a medical emergency but not a house fire?
There have been attempts to annex the area into the fire district unsuccessfully in the past.
The Chino Valley Fire District operates 3 stations in Chino Valley, AZ. Their website is here.
The article doesn’t explain the situation as easily as I would like, it states:
People outside the district boundaries can purchase a Fire Protection Contract from the Fire District which will allow response for emergency medical and fire protection services to that property.
and
Additionally, the property to be annexed must touch other fire district properties. Law does not allow single parcel annexations without being “contiguous” to other district properties.
