Last year, Timber Mesa (AZ) Fire and Medical District (TMFMD) Deputy Chief Randy Chevalier penned a grant request to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program to provide the TMFMD with a new ambulance. The AFG’s stated goals are to meet fire departments’ firefighting and emergency response needs, according to the White Mountain Independent.
Since 2001, the AFG has aided firefighters and other first responders in obtaining critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles and training as well as other resources needed to protect citizens and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.
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The TMFMD also responds to almost 3,000 medical emergencies annually, servicing the areas of Show Low; Pinetop-Lakeside; Linden; White Mountain Lake; and the surrounding areas of unincorporated Navajo County, a 400-plus square-mile area.
The TMFMD also maintains a fleet of seven ambulances: five ambulances strategically positioned throughout the region as well as two reserve units for when an ambulance needs repair, if additional units are busy during weekends, or during times of high call volumes.
To keep these seven ambulances in rotation, the TMFMD will purchase a new ambulance at least every other year. The AFG grant has saved the District taxpayers more than $150,000 this year.