As the Mayor of Carefree for the past 7+ years, I had knowledge of the facts developed and the deliberations of the Carefree Fire Safety Committee as they investigated the options and costs for fire and safety coverage in Carefree for the coming years. I support the Committee’s recommendation to vote “Yes” on the Initiative. However, the statements from the people urging a “No” vote on the Initiative because back-up support from Rural Metro’s station supporting Rio Verde Foothills is 10 minutes from Carefree are incorrect and misleading. The more accurate Rural Metro back-up response time is closer to 25 minutes.
The referenced Rural Metro Fire Station is 15 to 17 miles away from different parts of Carefree. To reach Carefree within 10 minutes, the equipment dispatched would have to travel at an average speed of 97 mph. That’s not a reasonable assumption upon which to build a response time model. For reference, the National Fire Protection Association has set a top speed of 68 mph for fire trucks, and the average speeds reached nationally traveling to an incident location are 35 mph.
I also dismiss those arguments suggesting that Carefree enter into the Automatic Aid arrangement but fund the incremental costs out of increased sales tax revenues from the commercial development of two locations on Carefree Highway. Relying upon these properties to generate substantial additional revenue in the short term would lead to unrealistic expectations, given that no development applications are currently under consideration by the Carefree P & Z. Any possible short term sales tax revenues from these properties are speculative, and would require a minimum of 5+ years to be realized.
The other group of uninformed statements offered by the “No” group is to economize by reducing Town Staff. Carefree already has among the smallest Staffs in the State, and any attempt to reduce their compensation would immediately result in their hiring by another municipality.
I believe that a “Yes” vote to enter into the Automatic Aid program and fund that participation via a Limited Property Tax is Carefree’s better long-term option.
Les Peterson
Carefree
