At their board meeting on Monday, Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority Board of Directors voted to accept the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant or SAFER. The SAFER grant will allow for five new firefighter positions. Chief Scott Freitag says increased call volume coupled with a decrease in the reliability ratings as well as an increase in response times has prompted the agency to look for ways to add additional personnel. He says their hope is to staff an alternative response vehicle, or ARU, out of Station 53 in the heart of Prescott Valley where their reliability rating is the lowest. An ARU is a smaller vehicle that is more maneuverable than a fire engine and less expensive to staff. He says they plan to utilize an existing vehicle staffed with one paramedic and one EMT. Freitag says the five new personnel provide them with additional options, but in reality they are still short the personnel needed to meet the ever increasing demand for service.
