Williamson Valley Fire District

Williamson Valley Fire District
15450 Williamson Valley Road Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 717-2304
Fax: (928) 717-1994
[email protected]
Yavapai Prescott Tribe
attn: Ernest Jones, Sr.-President
Helen Weir-Secretary to the President
530 East Merritt Street
Prescott, AZ 86301
September 7, 2014
President Ernest Jones, Sr.:
On behalf of the Williamson Valley Fire District (WVFD), we are submitting this
proposal for funding under your Arizona Revised Statute 5-601-02 (Prop. 202) 12% Gaming
Distribution program. As an emergency services organization providing vital fire, rescue, and
advanced life support emergency medical care to a large portion of rural Yavapai County in
Arizona, we are continually seeking ways to improve our service capabilities. Funding to
provide tuition and expenses for EMT-Paramedic training for current and potential WVFD
personnel and reservists would go a long way to build and maintain adequate advanced life
support emergency medical service in our expansive region.
Given the scale and remoteness of our primary service area, emergency response times
and distances in our Williamson Valley District can reach upwards to 40 minutes. Our Bagdadbased ambulance crews can require three hours and more to complete a round-trip scene-tohospital call. Mutual aid, fire, rescue, and emergency medical response to locales beyond our
primary area can double these times and stretch our resources to their limits.
Williamson Valley Fire District strives to maintain a staffing model of Firefighter-EMT’s
and Firefighter-Paramedics adequate to meet the needs of the region we serve. Given current and
projected shortages of experienced paramedic-level personnel in Arizona and beyond, WVFD is
looking at creative recruitment and personnel development strategies to meet our staffing needs.
Funding support to secure accredited paramedic training opportunities would help to ensure
staffing levels adequate for our service needs.
Your contribution would make a significant impact on the well-being of the thousands
who live, visit, and travel in our region. Thank you for whatever consideration you might offer
our request for funding.
Best wishes in all the good work you do.
Sincerely,
Bryan Smith
Chief, Williamson Valley Fire
Statement of Need:
Williamson Valley Fire District (WVFD) directly serves an approximately 300 square
mile area of the Arizona Central Highlands region with fire, rescue, and emergency medical care.
Our service area includes the Williamson Valley rural ranch and residential area 20 miles north
of Prescott, Arizona, the mining facility and community of Bagdad, Arizona, and surrounding
rural areas, including the community of Hillside. WVFD provides critical paramedic-level
advanced life support (ALS) emergency medical response for our residents and visitors.
Residents of a 200 square mile area within our district rely on WVFD for primary ambulance
service. Annual call volume for our services runs between 650 and 700.
Population of our immediate service area is roughly 4,500, with additional seasonal
residents numbering 2,000-2,500 and thousands of visitors and travelers passing by on the remote
stretches of US Highway 93 and other primary state and county thoroughfares that run through
our service area. Through mutual aid and need-based response to unincorporated areas beyond
our immediate service area, residents of a large portion of west central Arizona are dependent on
the professional emergency service capabilities of WVFD.
Given the distances involved in our responses to emergencies, personnel can be tied up
responding to and on emergency scenes for considerable amounts of time. Round-trip scene-tohospital service by our Bagdad-based advanced life support ambulance service can draw
personnel out of our district and unavailable for three hours and more.
To meet the emergency service needs of the district, WFVD strives to maintain an ideal
professional staffing model of four firefighter-paramedics and three firefighter-EMT’s based 247 between our two stations in the district. Current and projected state- and region-wide shortages
of experienced paramedic-level personnel, however, have led to difficulty in building and
maintaining the crew configurations and reserve capabilities needed to ensure consistent
advanced life support emergency medical service for our service area. Given the remoteness of
our district and potential distances and times involved in our responses to emergencies, these
ALS staffing concerns can and do lead to WVFD resources being stretched to maintain what can
be, at times, lifesaving service coverage.
Project Objectives and Budget:
Williamson Valley Fire District is submitting this request for funding under 12% Gaming
Distribution priority areas of Public Safety and Economic Development.
With financial support, WVFD proposes to offer tuition, course expenses (books, course
materials, testing, travel, other), and additional personnel time for shift coverage for accredited
paramedic training for three (3) current and/or potential personnel in our initial program phase.
Paramedic training can serve not only to enhance advanced life support emergency service to our
region, but also provide career development and advancement opportunities for individuals in the
emergency services career fields. It is anticipated that successes realized in funding and
implementing this program will lead to replicating and expanding these opportunities in the
future, providing career advancement and employment security for additional fire-EMS
professionals who choose to make the Prescott area their home.
Funding Request and Budget:

Tuition, course expenses, testing, and travel for
three (3) participants in paramedic training, at


6,000.00 per each participant:
18,000.00
Additional personnel time for shift coverage (allowing
paramedic students to participate in paramedic training)
and in-house tutorage and training:
2,000.00
Total Requested:
20,000.00
Funding History:
WVFD does not have additional funding requests for this program outstanding at this
time.
In 2011, WVFD received a 12% Distribution grant for 2,000.00 from the Fort McDowell
Yavapai for self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to assist us in maintaining safe and
effective firefighting service.
Municipal Agreement:
Williamson Valley Fire District is a registered nonprofit organization. WVFD has
entered into formal relationships with the County of Yavapai in the State of Arizona for similar
program funding scenarios in the past and will do so again in the event of successful funding
under this proposal.
Contact Information:
Chief Bryan Smith
Williamson Valley Fire District
15450 N Williamson Valley Road
Prescott, AZ 86305
928-717-2304
928-717-1994 (fax)
[email protected]
George Price Fire Board Chair
Williamson Valley Fire District
15450 N Williamson Valley Road
Prescott, AZ 86305
928-717-2304
928-717-1994 (fax)
[email protected]