from July 23, 1999 Sonora Times

found by searching infoseek for "rural metro fire" (with apostrophes)

Rural Metro working for better fire protection by Curtis Riggs

CAREFREE - Even though Rural Metro Fire Department personnel have passed the test that could lead to lower insurance rates for homeowners, the savings will not be seen for several months.

At issue in the rate structure in the area is a national Insurance Services Organization (ISO) rating. The rating, which ranks available fire protection in a community, came into play when many homeowners in the Carefree/Cave Creek area had the rating for their home increase from an 8 to a 9 in recent years. The difference from a 9 rating to a rating of 8 is approximately an 8 percent savings, David Eaves of Insurance Services Offices, Inc., said.

Rural Metro passed the test to receive the lower rating this March by proving that by using the water available on a fire truck and a water tender (tanker) accompanying it, 400 gallons of water a minute could be pumped for 20 minutes straight. The test was conducted off of Lone Mountain Road.

Eaves said even though Rural Metro did pass the test in March, the ISO rating of 8 will not go into effect until December 1, 1999. This is due to when the paperwork was filed and what publication the new rating would appear in.

Eaves explains that Maricopa County has an ISO rating of 6/9. A rating of 6 applies when a home is located within five miles of a fire station and within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant. If the home is located outside of these parameters the rating is a 9. Since the passing of the test in March a Dwelling Class 8 ISO rating will be available in the area. Eaves said that with the Dwelling Class 8 rating the requirement concerning fire hydrants was dropped.

To address the issue of distances from a fire station, Rural Metro is planning on opening a new station on Cave Creek Road east of town on October 1. The current Carefree/Cave Creek Rural Metro station at Cave Creek Road and Tom Darlington Drive will be moved sometime in the future to provide better coverage to Cave Creek and southwest portions of Carefree. The idea is for portions of Carefree and areas east of town such as Desert Mountain to be within five miles of the station opening October 1. When the present station is moved further west most areas of Cave Creek and the southwest portions of Carefree will be located within five miles of it.

"The Cave Creek station will stay the same until we can work out a plan to put it next to town hall," said Rural Metro Assistant Chief and Fire Marshal Jim Ford. Cave Creek is planning a renovation of the present town hall. The plan is for the Maricopa County Sheriff's substation to also locate at the new town hall.

A mutual aid agreement that Rural Metro has with the Phoenix Fire Department should be enhanced by Phoenix fire opening a new station near Cave Creek Road and Pinnacle Peak.

Citing that the last ISO rating for the area was established in 1992, Ford questions whether the current rating is fair as Rural Metro has increased the number of fire trucks, tankers and personnel in the area since that time.

Ford points out that for significant changes in fire protection to occur locally a decision must be made in both Cave Creek and Carefree to subscribe with a fire department for services.

"It's been reviewed three or four times," he said adding that attempts usually fail due to there being no property taxes charged in the communities that could be used to pay for the services.

"These are rural communities with additional challenges," he said. "People need to understand that we are trying to put services up here."

Not all insurance companies follow the ISO guidelines to the letter. State Farm is one company that does. Anthony Turchetta, who operates a Farmers Insurance office in Cave Creek, said that his insurance company goes with a 6 fire protection rating if a home is located within five miles of a fire station and the homeowner subscribes to service from Rural Metro. He said that where fire hydrants are located should not really come into play as pumper (tanker) trucks are available through Rural Metro. "We don't always follow ISO to the 'T' to be more competitive," he said.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Fire in the hole! by Don Sorchych

NEW RIVER - A new homeowner on North 26th street in New River was poking around his recently acquired property and noticed a box in a shed near the residence. Opening the box, he recognized dynamite sticks. According to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), the box was more than half full. Worse, the dynamite was old and presumed to be unstable.

Apparently, the previous owner was a hard rock miner and no further investigation is planned, since it had been used for legal purposes. The decision was made to blow up the dynamite in situ.

Originally scheduled for 3 p.m. last Thursday, the site buzzed with activity. All the major local television stations were there with antenna booms extended. Helicopters were positioned - stationary overhead - waiting to safely record the promised blast.

Sheriff Joe himself was there, huddled with aides, giving interviews and waiting for zero hour. Rural Metro firemen maneuvered through the yellow tape holding observers at bay, and spread foam over straw bales stacked by striped chain gang prisoners, to deflect the blast away from nearby structures. As the MCSO bomb experts and Rural Metro firemen retreated from the site, the television cameramen retracted their booms in anticipation of the explosion.

Finally at about 3:30 p.m. the word came down, "Fire in the hole - Fire in the hole!" one, two, three, four, five. ... KABOOOOOM! The earth shook and debris was hurled far skyward. Cheers nearly as loud as the blast itself echoed and reverberated as the nervous tension was broken by the skillfully executed demolition.

Sheriff Joe beamed and told bystanders he hoped the media would report it accurately. In obvious reference to the recent Starflash Ranch episode Arpaio said "No CIA involved, nobody hurt, all the neighbors were informed. End of story." Good job, Joe and company.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Town of Cave Creek to study aquifer and grant application by Curtis Riggs

CAVE CREEK - In order to stay ahead of the curve and a possible future water shortage, the town of Cave Creek intends to commission a study of the aquifer in the Carefree/Cave Creek Basin. Cave Creek Planning Commissioner Dr. Bill Allen, who is lending a hand with the study and the preparation of an application for an Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) grant, said that while the emphasis of the study will be to assess the groundwater condition in the Cave Creek aquifer the study will involve a look at individual private wells drawing from the aquifer.

ADWR has identified the groundwater situation in Cave Creek as critical, Mayor Vincent Francia said of findings that came out during a meeting when ADWR officials came to Cave Creek a couple of months ago. The ADWR findings agree with the data collected by Joe Bernier, who has studied the level of water in wells in the aquifer for years. Carefree Water Consultant Leonard Dueker told the Carefree Town Council earlier this year that based on current water usage the aquifer could run dry by 2006-2007.

"Water is the No. 1 priority," Francia said of the importance of the study. "All other concerns become moot if there is no assured water supply." ADWR Water Resource Planner Sandy Fabritz said that while the water situation here is not considered critical by ADWR, it is only because the criteria for a critical rating has not yet been developed. "It is a critical area as we are proposing critical (criteria)," she said. "We are very interested in this grant application considering the water situation in that area."

Allen said it is crucial to look at the entire aquifer when studying it. This makes it important to include input from Carefree and Scottsdale in the study as these municipalities are also drawing from the aquifer. "It is more important to look at the overall demand on the system and fix it," he said. Town Manager Kerry Dudek said a consultant will be hired to prepare the grant application and the application will be presented to the Cave Creek Town Council at the first meeting in October. The cost of the preparation of the grant application is estimated to be around $2,500 according to Cave Creek documents.

Allen will review the application after it is completed.

The amount that could be received in grants is estimated to range between $60,000 and $100,000 according to town documents. The grant to study the problem will hopefully lead to the receipt of another grant. The second grant could be used to implement some of the recommendations that could be determined in the first grant. Francia said grants are available from ADWR as well as the Maricopa County Association of Governments (MAG). Francia, who is a member of MAG, said as soon as applications are completed he will present Cave Creek's application for a MAG grant.

The purchase of Central Arizona Project (CAP) water that could be used in lieu of groundwater is a possible solution to reducing the depletion of the aquifer.

"The options are to get private water users off the individual wells and onto a water system," Allen said. "The CAP water available to the Cave Creek Water Company is not being fully used." The use of effluent to irrigate golf courses is also critical in any attempt to revive the aquifer as far as Allen is concerned.

"The Rancho Manana Golf Course is using CAP water and effluent," Allen said. "They are the only major user in town that is effectively using effluent. If they were depending on groundwater the aquifer would be declining more rapidly."

The building of recharge basins that would catch rain water and let it slowly seep into the ground is another option in helping to save the aquifer. Allen said if catch basins such as this are built they have to be built far enough away from washes so the water being stored in them will not be swept down stream with a heavy rain.

Councilman Gilbert Lopez and Town Engineer Stu Spaulding are going to work with Allen on the application process and the study. Francia calls Allen "an example to follow" considering his knowledge and dedication to Cave Creek.