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Emergency officials warn of power shutoffs and local fentanyl concerns; fire district awarded small equipment grant
Summary
Gila County emergency manager urged sign-ups for mass notifications and warned of predicted APS/SRP power shutdowns; the county presented a $6,628.58 equipment grant to the Tonto Basin Fire District and the fire chief said stations will be cooling centers (not evacuation centers) and will accept kenneled pets.
County emergency officials used the Roosevelt meeting to urge preparedness for summer power interruptions and to report on public-safety trends. Carl Melford, Gila County Emergency Manager, encouraged residents to sign up for the county mass-notification system and to verify contact information. He warned that APS and SRP have predicted power shutdowns during the hottest, driest periods this summer and said he will send notifications as soon as he receives outage notices; he advised residents to keep a battery backup to charge phones during outages.
"He encouraged everyone to sign up and if they are already signed up to make sure their information is correct," Melford said.
Lt. Lahti of the Sheriff’s Department reported 12 local calls in June and said there have been several cases of driving while intoxicated; he also described fentanyl as a significant problem in the area. Chief Stoltenberg said he handed out the Tonto Basin Fire District budget, confirmed the district received a $6,628.58 grant for equipment and said the county presented the check on July 2. The chief said the Tonto Basin and Roosevelt stations are being prepared as cooling centers during power shutdowns but would not be used as evacuation centers in a wildfire; he added pets are welcome at cooling centers if kenneled or crated.
Jeremy Plain from USFS (speaking about recreation and field operations) said new signs for the 83 pit will be installed this week, USFS will burn brush pits starting with Punkin Center, and the lake is at 80 percent, allowing Bermuda Flats to reopen for camping. He also said the newly hired LWEO will attend the USFS LEO academy in October and is expected to be fully accredited by February.
Officials urged residents to enroll in notifications, prepare for temporary outages, and use cooling centers if necessary. Officers and fire officials emphasized prevention and readiness but did not announce any new evacuation orders or service suspensions at the meeting.
