“We have seen a lot of miracles in Yarnell and we did our homework” on a $503,500 grant for a much-needed replacement fire truck. So reveals Frances Lechner, personnel and grant specialist for the Yavapai Fire District (YFD), about the district’s application for an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“We are hopeful,” Lechner said.
The fire district is still recovering from the devastating June 2013 wildfire that claimed the lives of 19 elite Granite Mountain Hotshots. The tragic event also damaged enough property in the nine square mile district to reduce its tax base by 28 percent. The YFD’s annual budget, averaged over the three years prior to the fire, was $197,386, according to Lechner.
Seventy percent of the budget is personnel costs for the district, which employs Chief Ben Palm and three captains, while drawing 15 volunteers, mostly from outside the YFD. A fuels abatement program funded through a grant from the State Forestry Division keeps another four volunteers busy.
After submitting its application by the December 2014 deadline, district officials await the grant award decision, which is anticipated this month.
If among the 10 percent of nationwide applicants awarded, the YFD will receive funds for a new engine/pumper, safety equipment (such as headsets), warranties and two trips for YFD personnel to inspect the vehicle before payment. The grant request also includes taxes on the vehicle, which at $38,500, are more than the $37,000 paid for the deteriorating 1992 Pierce Arrow, bought used in 2011.
Since the fire on Yarnell Hill, “we’ve had more focus on fuel abatement and recruiting more personnel,” Lechner noted. “We’ve had assistance from the state through its loan program; our Type 3 engine, used on wildfires, is on loan to us for as long as we need it.”
The majority of calls from the district, dispatched through the Rural Metro dispatch service in Glendale, request Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and public assistance. Call volume has increased by 50 percent since the fire, increasing the stresses on funding.
In a given year, applications are made for numerous grants offered by entities such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Arizona Forestry Division, FEMA, Firehouse Subs, the Yarnell Hill Recovery Group and the Arizona Community Foundation of Yavapai County (ACF of Yavapai County), previously known as the Yavapai County Community Foundation (YCCF).
In addition to expanded wildfire prevention activities, new YFD programs include a training center in Yarnell and acquisition/remodeling of a building for medical professionals to see patients, after the community’s physician assistant left two years ago. The remodel, funded through ACF of Yavapai County, facilitates medical visits twice a month.
Chief Palm serves on memorial committees for the Yarnell Hill Fire Memorial Park on donated YFD land and the State Memorial Board, which oversees remembrance on the terrain where the Hotshots perished.
Asked how the public could help the district, Lechner responded that YFD “would benefit enormously” by individuals or organizations:
- Buying property or moving to Yarnell – “a great place for a second home” in a community reeling from the loss of more than one-quarter of its tax base.
- Donating directly – to YFD at P.O. Box 581, Yarnell, AZ 85362,
- Making a tax-deductible contribution – via a check to the Yarnell Hill Recovery Group, noting YFD on the memo line, and mailing to P.O. Box 1086, Yarnell, AZ 85362.
- Attending and/or contributing – to a Firewise Workshop in April, planned in conjunction with the Yarnell Community Garden Project.
- Participating in the 2nd Annual Memorial 5K Fun Run – in early June as runner, spectator and/or helper.
- Purchasing or helping sell – a free-standing safe, a combination lock vault door, a wall of 146 safety deposit boxes, and/or two donated lots in Ash Fork. QCBN
By Sue Marceau
Quad Cities Business News
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