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Pima County fire chiefs warn underfunded fire districts risk slower responses, urge county help
Summary
Fire chiefs representing 18 Pima County fire districts told supervisors that decades of state policy changes and unequal tax bases have left many districts short of staff, equipment and station capacity — creating public‑safety and wildfire preparedness gaps in rural and suburban areas.
Fire chiefs and union representatives briefed the Pima County Board of Supervisors on February 18 about funding shortfalls across many local fire districts and how the shortfalls affect response times, staffing and capital needs.
Northwest Fire District Chief Bridal Bradley told the board that special taxing districts under Arizona Revised Statutes Title 48 rely primarily on a secondary property tax and that legislative changes over the last three decades — including a reduced assessment percentage on commercial property and property value rollbacks tied to ballot measures — have eroded district revenues. Bradley used Northwest Fire as an example, saying cumulative assessed‑value losses…
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