Today's Az Star has an article on the possibility of the folks residing in and around the La Cholla Airpark losing their fire service.
The article fails to make mention of the fact that these folks live on large partials, and the Golder Ranch Fire Service rates are based, not on the size of the home,as had been the case previously, but on the assessed valuation of the property--- that in many cases exceeds more than a few acres.
It's a "sticky situation," and we hope it can be worked out.
Here's the Az Star article
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_90816c54-b970-55e6-813f-103bdd2496aa.html
30 comments:
Golder Ranch fire protection cost too much. My 2010 property tax stmt shows Golder Ranch FD Sec and Golder Ranch FD bond plus a Fire Dist Assist charge, what ever that is. This all adds up to well over $1000 per year. I always get a kick to see the 8 gal per mile Golder Ranch fire truck at the Safeway at lunch time. I would guess it costs the tax payer about $100 in diesel for the lunch run. Is the fire station at the corner of Tangerine and 1st abandoned? If so, sell the property and reduce our taxes! I can certainly understand the people who fight annexation.
Hi Nombe.
The fire station is about 1 mile (ROUND TRIP) from the Safeway. Using your estimate of 8 gal per mile, that would be 1/8 of a gallon. At $2.50 a gallon (wholesale) that's about $0.33.
The airpark poses a serious problem for firefighters. Many of the structures there contain high levels of combustable material which poses issues not found in most residential areas. I was in one of the hangers out there not long ago and there was a fully fueled airplane, a large motor boat, fully fueled, many paint containers and not a sprinlker in sight.
I have far greater empathy with folks who own empty lots and are paying big bucks for an empty lot. That is an issue that should be resolved.
Just a minor correction, the empty fire station is at Palisades.
I've also often wondered why the fire dept. uses the big fire truck for things that don't require a big fire truck. Besides using it to go out for lunch, they also use it to drive to a resident's home to remove rattlesnakes. Couldn't they use a smaller, less gas-guzzling vehicle for these things?
As for the lack of sprinklers at the airpark, one wonders why Arizona doesn't have a stronger fire code that would REQUIRE these things.
When we moved here, we called the fire dept. to ask about the laws pertaining to smoke alarms and were surprised when we were told that smoke alarms were NOT MANDATORY in AZ homes! So...an extremely dry climate where fire spreads easily but smoke alarms are not required. I swear that this state is run by a bunch of hillbillies. This is an example of an area in which government regulations would be a GOOD THING!
OVOT, thanks. I misplaced the abandoned fire station. Oh and where can I get some wholesale diesel, it is almost 4.00 per gal at Safeway. Egad!
Although I did notice some strange activity at the Pslisades Fire Station the other day. A large motor home, looked like a portable meth lab. A big pile of dirt, look like a drug cartel mass grave. A group of odd vehicles parked behind the station. In short Vicky Cowgirl may be on to something - a bunch of hillbillies have invaded the OV!
VC...If you called Rural Metro, I can understand why you might have gotten the answer to received. I believe smoke detectors were required long before you purchased your current home.
Nombe....Sure wish I could buy gas at wholesale prices too!!!
For those readers that weren't around, don't remember, or don't realize it, the Airpark folks and the neighbors located in southeast Oro Valley have something in common.
Both neighborhoods were "sold a bill of goods" in allowing themselves to be annexed into our fine community.
I believe if asked if it was a wise decision, the overwhelming majority would answer, loud and clear: "NO!"
One reason: The fire service they were forced to accept.
As far as the Airpark, it's obvious the majority of the homeowners are not at all happy ---especially with GRFD rates.
Good heavens OV “Objective” “Thinker”…I was in the garage of a home outside the airpark the other day…there was a large automobile half full of gas (you do know fumes are more flammable don’t you), a boat with just a bit of gas, paint cans and rags. Additionally the family had small children and were smokers…
Maureen....Your point is well taken however I am having difficulty tying how one justifies the other. Home garages present a hazard to firefighters also but I don't think you can equate and airplane hanger to a residential garage.
To Nombe Watanabe, The old fire station on Palisades is not owned by the Golder Ranch Fire District and never has been. The station was leased to Rural/Metro by a privite owner for many years. When Rural/Metro pulled out of the northern half of Oro Valley Golder Ranch used the station for a short period until their station was completed on Lambert, As for what is going on there now you would have to asked the owner of the property. As for the rest of you the reason the air park is no longer going to have rural/metro covering them is because of Mountain Vista Fire District. MVFD does not want it's units (Rural/Metro) responeding to an area that is outside of it's fire district. Do your home work and you will find that Golder Ranch Fire District is the lowest cost FULL service fire district in southern AZ.
Truth....
Some posters here are usually not interested in the truth and they are very opposed to doing homework.
For those interested in the TRUTH --- Rural Metro was the service provider for approx 50% of Oro Valley until a previous majority Town Council was elected with the full backing of GRFD and saw fit to allow GFRD to annex Town Hall; that had been serviced without any costs by Rural Metro Fire Dep't.
That was the beginning of the end of Rural Metro, as a merger was soon to be, and the "losers" were the thousands of OV residents that saw a major escalation in their fire service bills.
Ask those folks who are residents of the Airpark if they'd rather still have the services as they did, prior to this merger, where they were paying RMFD based on the SIZE of their house, and not the assessed value of their property.
Sure, the law demands that, but , as I noted in a prior comment, ask these same folks if they feel they were "snookered" by the ex mayor and others into believing it would be to their advantage to be annexed into Oro Valley.
Sometimes, the truth hurts!
Artmarth, how much is the town paying for fire coverage with Golder?
The Town of Oro Valley is only overpaying for its Police.
The taxpayers of Oro Valley are paying for the fire service.
As noted at the Airpark, the choices are quite limited. You either pay the rate that the Golder Ranch Fire District Board of Directors set, or you do without fire service.
Neither is a great choice.
Cowgirl, the question is not why are they driving big fire trucks to catch snakes, the real questions is Why is someone calling 911 for a snake. A shovel is alot cheaper then four firefighters and a big fire truck.
Truth---A shovel is a really great idea.
Another good idea would be to jump off a roof!
You "gotta" be kidding!
Anyway, you certainly managed to get off the topic you initiated with me. Congrats on that.
Artmarth, the beginning of the end of Rural/Metro had nothing to do with Golder Ranch Fire District. The beginning to the end of Rural/Metro came the day Oro Valley set standards for fire service in Oro Valley. This ment that both Rural/Metro and Golder Ranch were going to have to meet national standards for fire serive. For Golder Ranch this ment very little impact to there budget as they were already meeting national standards. For Rural/Metro it ment a Very large impact on their bottom line. Rural was going to have to build more stations and hire more firefighters to meet staffing levels and response times. So now this falls back on those that lived in Rural/Metro's area that refused to pay for fire coverage. Had Rural/Metro had 100% of its service area paying then they would not have pulled out. Bottom line is, it is Rural/Metro's bottom line that determines where they provide coverage. Don't blame Golder Ranch for Rural/Metro's exit, blame those that live/lived in Rural/Metro's area that do not pay for their fire service.
The Truth,
I call the fire dept. for snake removal because:
(1) It is part of the service for which I pay.
(2) They are trained in snake removal and I am not.
(3) I'm not elderly, but I have a back problem and don't move as easily or as fast as I once did, which would make it impossible for me to capture and release a snake.
Now think about elderly people. Do you think a 70-year old woman with a walker is going to be able to catch and release a snake? People always think, "If I can do it, they can do it." Not true. We all have different levels of ability.
You said, "a shovel is a lot cheaper." Please enlighten me as to how one would remove a snake with a shovel.
This is borderline hilarious. I have always said this blog is a great source of humor and some of the comments support that belief.
Since no one else will say it, use the shovel and kill the damn snake. From there you have many options:
1.Leave the remains for a crow or vulture. They will love you.
2.Skin the creature and make a belt.
3.If you know how, prepare the meat for a nice dinner.
4.Fling the carcass over the fence into common area to make #1 easier.
You can always ignore the snake altogether and it will probably go away.
Lastly,if you don't want to kill the creature, then place the shovel (I suggest a long handle shovel) as flat as you can in front of the snake and go, "Here rattle snake, here rattlesnake." When the snake obediently crawls into the shovel blade, gently carry the snake off of your property and deposit it anywhere you wish.
Or just call GRFD and don't gritch about what kind of vehicle show up. Just don't do it during lunch time cause they may be at Safeway!!!!! :-)
Remember the guy who ran for office in New York under the slogan "the rents too damn high" ? Well, here in the Golder Ranch Fire District, the "Fire Tax is too damn high"
I base this statement on the fact that I did not have to pay so much in other states. So be it.
While I am at it, please don't screw around with snakes.
I don't care how young or old you are, the snake is faster than you are. Rattle Rattle.....
Does anyone know what the GRFD guys do all day? Cause there are only a few fires a year; how many medical emergencies are there?
Do they just sit around, eat, clean their trucks and exercise?
Zeeman....
I would suggest that you visit one of the GRFD stations and ask them if you could just observe a shift with them.
While I am not expert on their minute by minute activities I can tell you that they spend a lot of time training, doing required physical fitness, studying new fire fighting techniques, checking their equipment daily to insure it will work when they do need it, cleaning their living quarters and other 'mundane' activities.
In addition they do change smoke alarm batteries for many folks unable to do so, they answer the infamous snake calls, they do building inspections on a routine basis, they are present at every Dispose-A-Med event and they are asked to attend many other community events such as one last Saturday (Healthiest Town in America) and yes there probably is a few minutes a day when they have down time.
What is your point? Are you suggesting that they are overpaid like this blog suggested of our police personel???
ZeeMan, they do the same thing Rural/Metro firefighters, Tucson Firefighters, Northwest firefighters, Picture Rocks Firefighters, and all other firefighters do a cross this great country. They work and wait for the next call to make a difference in someones life. Maybe it will be yours next time.
cox-- Aka OVOT--- Perhaps I was in error suggesting the OV police are overpaid.
Allow me to restate my position: We have more OV police than is necessary.
When the police department is costing OV taxpayers almost 1/2 of our budget, and I keep seeing police cars either at the end of the parking lot at the Naranja Park "dead end road," sitting in tandem behind the Adair Funeral Home, behind the wall at the Oracle Crossing Shopping Center, or other "good hiding places," I must wonder; "What are we getting for our money?"
PS --- Don't bother telling me they're doing "paper work," or other such nonsense."
They're just "slackers," getting paid for doing nothing.
That's because we have more of them than we need. That won't change with this present council, as it was the police union that helped get them elected!
Hi Art….
I will agree that you were in error in suggesting that the OV police are overpaid. And I think that a vast majority of the people in this community would agree with my position.
I would also agree with you that not every police person on duty at any given time is busy doing something productive. And I would once again agree with you that there are times that I too have seen multiple vehicles huddled in one spot doing something that may or may not be necessary. And when I see the latter, I frequently send Chief Sharp an e-mail that goes something like this:
“Today around x time I saw three police vehicles parked behind the xxxxx store. While I don’t know if their duties required that assembly, from a PR standpoint it just doesn’t look good.”
He has always responded positively and thanked me for letting him know. I might suggest you do the same rather than calling them a bunch of “slackers,getting paid for doing nothing”.
Lastly allow me to make an analogy. On a baseball team there are usually 25 or so active players. Only 9 are actively engaged in a game. And at any given point throughout the game they are busy. But usually not all nine are actively engaged at every moment. Does this mean that they are “slackers” also? There are several other team members sitting on the bench just observing and watching. They really are doing nothing AND in some cases getting paid damn well for doing nothing. But they serve a purpose in the smooth operation of the overall TEAM effort. Think about that the next time you see a police car that isn’t actively fighting crime. Because you never know when 1 minute after you pass that officer may be getting shot at by some crazed bystander named Loughner.
Don
The police and the fire department are a lot like insurance. You don't need your insurance but you pay for it just the same.
Are there too many police in the OV? Maybe. Does the GRFD cost too much? Yes.
What can be done about it. Not much.
Nombe have you ever gone to a public meeting of Golder Ranch Fire board before? You as a tax payer do have a voice. Once again I will point out that Golder Ranch is the lowest cost full service fire district in southern AZ. Now many on here talk about how Rural/Metro charges per square foot and the bigger your house the more you pay. I agree that this maybe a better way, but then again there are large areas of desert that dont have houses on them. How would a fire department charge for something like that? With the exception of La Cholla airpark All Oro Valley residents now pay in to a fire district. Sure Mountain Vista Fire District tax levy is low then Golder Ranch but then again Mountain Vista only has one fire station with a second being built now, one ladder truck, two fire trucks on order, NO Water Tenders/Tanks, NO brush fire trucks, NO support trucks, NO training center or training staff, NO fleet services, NO ambulances, and most of ALL NO FIREFIGHTERS. When they finnaly do you will see their tax rate go up.
OVOT,
When THE TRUTH suggested that I use a shovel, I knew what he meant, but I wanted him to SAY it. And you, just like me, noticed that he WOULDN'T say it.
So you responded for him with the comment..."Since no one else will say it, use the shovel and kill the damn snake."
This is some people's answer for everything. I don't like it...kill it. It's in my way...kill it. I fear it...kill it.
Which takes me back to my "hillbilly" theory.
Cowgirl, using a shovel to kill the snake quickly is a much more humane way to deal with a snake then for the fire department to remove it from your property. Snakes are very territorial and removing a snake just a few hundred feet from where it is found could cause the snakes death. Your other opption is to go back inside for a little while and wait for the snake to move on. For every one snake you have seen there as been ten more that you did not see. Most of all just be safe and smart, don't go outside at night without a flash light and a pair of shoes on. When you work in your yard check the bushes with a stick before you stick your hand in them. Remember this was their home before it was yours. I dont want to see an animal killed anymore then I'm sure you don't.
I only posted the comment about the shovel because you want the fire fighters to come to your aid but you complain about the way the get there.
Now how did we get from talking about La Cholla Airpark to a class on snakes?
ZeeMan you asked the question "what do Golder Ranch Firefighters do all day" so I made a phone call and here is a break down of what they do.
For the month of January they ran a total of 718 calls.
21 calls were fire related
300 were service calls (snake/battery change)
50 Good intent (false alarm)
347 medical calls
545 of those calls were in Oro Valley.
Also it should be noted that Golder Ranch Firefighters responded to assist Mountain Vista/Rural Metro to Mountain View Nursing Home for a building fire.
Responded with Northwest Fire for the shooting on Jan 8 and for a fire at Foothills mall.
Ooo and they also responded to La Cholla airpark for smoke coming from a plane during landing.
I truly hope this anwsered your question as to what they do all day.
Zeeman please let it be known that I am not pro Golder Ranch but I am pro firefighters. I will stand up for any firefighter reguardless of who they may work for. If you asked what rural/metro firefighters do all day I would have done the same amount of home work to answer your question.
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