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City seeking grants for fire equipment
By Carol Broeder/Arizona Range News
The City of Willcox has applied for a $385,000 grant from the Tohono O'odham Nation for firefighting equipment.
The Willcox City Council gave its unanimous approval at its July 11 meeting, directing city staff to submit the application.
The Nation makes available a required percentage of its gaming proceeds for distribution under the Gaming Allocation Grant program for local jurisdictions through an application process.
The Willcox Fire Department has never received any 12-percent distribution from either the Tohono O'odham Nation or any other Arizona tribe prior to this proposal.
If awarded, the $385,000 will be used to purchase a Type 8 Wildland Fire truck for $105,000, a water tender truck for $215,000, a tractor for $50,000, and a bat-wing mower for $15,000.
"These items will be used to suppress and prevent fire at the airport and in other areas of Northern Cochise County," said City Manager Mike Leighton.
"Staff analyzed the Nation's position on grants and came to the conclusion that the Nation might be more receptive to an application that supported equipment purchase rather than program or facilities development," he said.
Written by Police Chief Jake Weaver and Capt. Jerry Giudice, the grant application drew praise from the city council members.
Their proposal addressed three priority areas:
€ Public Safety
Providing enhanced fire prevention, suppression, and mitigation capabilities to the city and surrounding communities.
€Cultural and Environmental Development and Protection
Reducing the risk of major losses and fire potential in the city and surrounding communities.
"Increasing our fire protection and prevention capabilities, which will protect our natural desert environment to include the habitat of migratory and native wildlife from being ravaged by the devastating effects of major wildfires."
Protecting the city water treatment facilities and natural gas distribution stations from fire damage.
€Economic Development
Increased fire suppression capabilities will have a direct impact on the fire department's ISO rating, resulting in lower insurance costs.
"This will stimulate increased interest and controlled growth in our community by industry and commerce, which will result in an increase in available employment opportunities, better housing, health care, and education, as well as growth of the City of Willcox itself."
The fire department has previously requested funding for these units through the city's general fund, "and has been consistently denied due to budgetary constraints," the proposal states.
"We have no current budget funding available to provide for the purchase of these units. Our fiscal year 2007-08 budget is currently $5,000 for vehicle repair and maintenance, which barely provides the minimum amount necessary to keep our aging vehicles in ready condition."
The proposal describes the fire department as serving 3,885 in the corporate city limits, "with surges in population during the tourist seasons to over 10,000."
In addition, the fire department "provides both structural and Wildland ... fire prevention and suppression services to the unincorporated areas surrounding the city, with an estimated population served of over 15,000."
The proposal also describes that Union Pacific Railroad has a main line that comes through the city, with construction of a second rail line currently under way.
"Average speeds of the trains, which carry everything from passengers to hazardous materials, coming through the city are 55 miles per hour, with a top speed of 70 miles per hour," said Weaver and Giudice, adding that in accordance with mutual aid agreements, the fire department is called upon by the state "to respond as much as 40 miles beyond our primary area of responsibility ranging from the City of Benson to the New Mexico state line..."
The fire department also services the Cochise County Airport, located five miles outside city limits, "providing hospitality services to aircraft pilots, fueling facilities, fire prevention and suppression services, as well as maintenance and staffing of the airport itself."
The proposal describes the airport as "a destination and stopover/refueling point for aircraft ranging from small experimental aircraft up to multi-engine aircraft," with an average of more than 300 aircraft being serviced each month.
"The airport also serves as a support base for the Arizona State Land Tanker Aircraft engaged in wildland fire suppression activities."
The airport has nine buildings ranging from hangers, a terminal, service buildings, and a residence, as well as two 10,000 gallon above-ground fuel storage tanks, one containing aviation grade gasoline, and one containing jet fuel, the proposal states.
"There is a critical need for fire suppression apparatus within this dynamically growing community base, with the only dependable water supply being within the corporate city limits, which is served by fire hydrants," Giudice and Weaver said.
"The closest mutual aid department capable of providing adequate additional apparatus and water resources is over 30 miles away."
The city's fire department currently has a 1974 Chevy Wildland Type 6 Attack Truck, and a 1975 Military 2 1/2 ton converted fuel tanker, 1,200 gallon capacity, being used as a water tender.
"Both of these units are increasingly difficult to maintain and keep in a ready condition to serve our population base with fire suppression services."
If awarded, the fire department plans to use the grant money to purchase the attack truck and water tender/pumper "capable of delivering manpower, equipment, and water to our greater fire service area of responsibility."
The attack truck "will provide the ability to deliver sufficient manpower and state of the art fire suppression capabilities to the population served for Wildland, Urban Interface, and Quick Attack," until additional fire department resources can arrive on scene.
"The water tender/pumper will be capable of carrying at least 3,000 gallons of water to areas not served by hydrants, there by more than doubling our water supply and giving us the added flexibility to provide sustained fire suppression services to our population in outlying areas," including the airport.
The tractor and mower will be used "for cutting weeds and brush in the Urban Interface and at the airport to minimize the risk of fire spread to structures and to proactively reduce the fuels in the Willcox Fire Department's area of responsibility and outlying community, thus reducing the risk of capital loss from Wildland fires."
The city should receive word in September whether or not it has been awarded the grant.
The Willcox City Council gave its unanimous approval at its July 11 meeting, directing city staff to submit the application.
The Nation makes available a required percentage of its gaming proceeds for distribution under the Gaming Allocation Grant program for local jurisdictions through an application process.
The Willcox Fire Department has never received any 12-percent distribution from either the Tohono O'odham Nation or any other Arizona tribe prior to this proposal.
If awarded, the $385,000 will be used to purchase a Type 8 Wildland Fire truck for $105,000, a water tender truck for $215,000, a tractor for $50,000, and a bat-wing mower for $15,000.
"These items will be used to suppress and prevent fire at the airport and in other areas of Northern Cochise County," said City Manager Mike Leighton.
"Staff analyzed the Nation's position on grants and came to the conclusion that the Nation might be more receptive to an application that supported equipment purchase rather than program or facilities development," he said.
Written by Police Chief Jake Weaver and Capt. Jerry Giudice, the grant application drew praise from the city council members.
Their proposal addressed three priority areas:
€ Public Safety
Providing enhanced fire prevention, suppression, and mitigation capabilities to the city and surrounding communities.
€Cultural and Environmental Development and Protection
Reducing the risk of major losses and fire potential in the city and surrounding communities.
"Increasing our fire protection and prevention capabilities, which will protect our natural desert environment to include the habitat of migratory and native wildlife from being ravaged by the devastating effects of major wildfires."
Protecting the city water treatment facilities and natural gas distribution stations from fire damage.
€Economic Development
Increased fire suppression capabilities will have a direct impact on the fire department's ISO rating, resulting in lower insurance costs.
"This will stimulate increased interest and controlled growth in our community by industry and commerce, which will result in an increase in available employment opportunities, better housing, health care, and education, as well as growth of the City of Willcox itself."
The fire department has previously requested funding for these units through the city's general fund, "and has been consistently denied due to budgetary constraints," the proposal states.
"We have no current budget funding available to provide for the purchase of these units. Our fiscal year 2007-08 budget is currently $5,000 for vehicle repair and maintenance, which barely provides the minimum amount necessary to keep our aging vehicles in ready condition."
The proposal describes the fire department as serving 3,885 in the corporate city limits, "with surges in population during the tourist seasons to over 10,000."
In addition, the fire department "provides both structural and Wildland ... fire prevention and suppression services to the unincorporated areas surrounding the city, with an estimated population served of over 15,000."
The proposal also describes that Union Pacific Railroad has a main line that comes through the city, with construction of a second rail line currently under way.
"Average speeds of the trains, which carry everything from passengers to hazardous materials, coming through the city are 55 miles per hour, with a top speed of 70 miles per hour," said Weaver and Giudice, adding that in accordance with mutual aid agreements, the fire department is called upon by the state "to respond as much as 40 miles beyond our primary area of responsibility ranging from the City of Benson to the New Mexico state line..."
The fire department also services the Cochise County Airport, located five miles outside city limits, "providing hospitality services to aircraft pilots, fueling facilities, fire prevention and suppression services, as well as maintenance and staffing of the airport itself."
The proposal describes the airport as "a destination and stopover/refueling point for aircraft ranging from small experimental aircraft up to multi-engine aircraft," with an average of more than 300 aircraft being serviced each month.
"The airport also serves as a support base for the Arizona State Land Tanker Aircraft engaged in wildland fire suppression activities."
The airport has nine buildings ranging from hangers, a terminal, service buildings, and a residence, as well as two 10,000 gallon above-ground fuel storage tanks, one containing aviation grade gasoline, and one containing jet fuel, the proposal states.
"There is a critical need for fire suppression apparatus within this dynamically growing community base, with the only dependable water supply being within the corporate city limits, which is served by fire hydrants," Giudice and Weaver said.
"The closest mutual aid department capable of providing adequate additional apparatus and water resources is over 30 miles away."
The city's fire department currently has a 1974 Chevy Wildland Type 6 Attack Truck, and a 1975 Military 2 1/2 ton converted fuel tanker, 1,200 gallon capacity, being used as a water tender.
"Both of these units are increasingly difficult to maintain and keep in a ready condition to serve our population base with fire suppression services."
If awarded, the fire department plans to use the grant money to purchase the attack truck and water tender/pumper "capable of delivering manpower, equipment, and water to our greater fire service area of responsibility."
The attack truck "will provide the ability to deliver sufficient manpower and state of the art fire suppression capabilities to the population served for Wildland, Urban Interface, and Quick Attack," until additional fire department resources can arrive on scene.
"The water tender/pumper will be capable of carrying at least 3,000 gallons of water to areas not served by hydrants, there by more than doubling our water supply and giving us the added flexibility to provide sustained fire suppression services to our population in outlying areas," including the airport.
The tractor and mower will be used "for cutting weeds and brush in the Urban Interface and at the airport to minimize the risk of fire spread to structures and to proactively reduce the fuels in the Willcox Fire Department's area of responsibility and outlying community, thus reducing the risk of capital loss from Wildland fires."
The city should receive word in September whether or not it has been awarded the grant.
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