On the evening before Thanksgiving me and my wife joined two of our good friends (who had bid on and won a silent auction prize) and had a wonderful smoked brisket dinner at Rural Metro Fire Department Station 821.
The dinner for four was a thoughtful donation from the fire department to help support CarefreePark.org (a 501(c)3 charitable organization created to raise funds to purchase the last remaining 48 acres of desert land in Carefree).
Having played a role in fighting the Town Council’s attempt to replace Rural Metro earlier in the year, this evening with nine firefighters/paramedics made me realize just how much the residents of Carefree benefited by the loss of the “Property Tax” referendum.
Not only does Rural Metro 821 have one of the best emergency response time averages in the Valley, but the dedication, professionalism, and pride exhibited by these firefighters was truly inspiring. We received a complete tour of the station and learned just how complicated the equipment was and how physically demanding the job really is. And just as we were sitting down for dinner, an alarm came on and five of the firefighters were out the door and gone in around 30 seconds.
Carefree is in excellent hands with these fine men! And Station 821 also holds a Christmas toy drive every year (what better way to say thank you than to drop off a toy this holiday season).
Mike Davitt
Carefree
