We Need to Support SB1108 for Our Fire District

We need to support our fire district and help get this small increase in property tax to pass.

We need to support SB1108 so PLEASE  Call Senator Sonny Borrelli at 602-926-5051or Email him HERE

This money could provide money for an additional firefighter in Meadview and training volunteers. You never think about fire protection or EMS until you need to call 911. It's time to think ahead and help pass SB1108.

Senate Bill 1108 State of Arizona Senate Fifty-fifth Legislature First Regular Session 2021  

F. The board, based on the budget submitted by the district, shall 13 levy, in addition to any tax levied as provided in section 48-806, a tax 14 not to exceed $3.25 per $100 of assessed valuation THROUGH TAX YEAR 2021, 15 $3.375 PER $100 OF ASSESSED VALUATION FOR TAX YEAR 2022 AND $3.50 PER $100 16 OF ASSESSED VALUATION FOR TAX YEAR 2023 AND EACH TAX YEAR THEREAFTER, or 17 the amount of the levy in the preceding tax year multiplied by 1.08, 18 whichever levy is less, and minus any amounts required to reduce the levy 19 pursuant to subsection I of this section, against all property situated 20 within the district boundaries and appearing on the last assessment roll. 21 The levy shall be made and the taxes collected in the manner, at the time 22 and by the officers provided by law for the collection of general county 23 taxes. 

Thanks to Chief Bonnee the LMRFD Will Have Better Response Times Starting Tonight...

 Starting the evening of Friday February19th thanks to Chief Bonnee the LMRFD will have improved response times because of new accurate GPS data called a shapefile.

In addition to pagers the fire district uses an app called Active911 to provide basic call information as well as a map to route firefighters from their location to the call using GPS.

If you use GPS on your phone then more than likely it's using Google Maps. Around Dolan Springs and Meadview if you use GPS you know that where your GPS says an address is, and where an address really is, can be two different locations. 

Active911 uses Google Map addresses for routing unless other GIS mapping data called a shapefile is provided. That's what Chief Bonnee did. He provided the Mohave County GIS shapefile for the LMRFD to Active911 for their WIZ mapping system.

BUT then it got better... Active911's Jennifer Davis and Mohave County GIS Coordinator Steve Engle went above and beyond. Working together they provided the shapefile for not only the fire district, but also for the LMRFD CON to Active911. The CON is the 2000 or so square miles the LMRFD ambulance covers. 

Now when our firefighters respond on fire calls or EMS calls, the address they see on their Active911 map is from the Mohave County GIS map and not a really good guess from Google Maps. 

This accurate mapping information will improve response times across the entire area not just the fire district. 

Understanding Active911's WIZ Mapping System

Chief Bonnee Working With the Community to Improve Services

Chief Bonnee is working with the Technical Committee and citizens to get input from people with various backgrounds on what the fire district needs from the community, and what the community needs from the fire district.

There's a big learning curve to go from firefighter to an being effective fire chief. So far it looks like Chief Bonnee is working with other fire districts and members of the community to improve fire service and EMS here in Dolan Springs and Meadview.

We all need to work together as a community. So if you have skills the fire district can use, please volunteer. 

Alaska's Alternative for EMS Response in Rural Areas Like Dolan Springs

Everybody knows to call 911 in an emergency. But 911 works a little different in some areas, especially in rural areas.

A friend who lived in Alaska and understands responding in rural areas told me how their EMS dispatch system worked in rural areas similar to ours.

In Alaska the person would call 911 as usual. The 911 operator would take the information, page the appropriate unit and pass on the call information. That's where things change. 

The 911 dispatcher would forward the call to a mobile phone mounted in the ambulance. This allowed the EMT to speak directly to the caller getting directions and updated medical information. This eliminated any miscommunication between the caller, 911 dispatch, and the responding EMS unit.

Allowing callers to speak directly with responding units reduced response times by providing accurate directions and information on how to get to the location of the emergency.

When my friend worked in Alaska they had lot's of oil pipeline money for fancy radio systems and mobile telephones. 

Today we have technology like GPS, cellular phones, and PTT radios that use cellular networks rather than repeaters.  

This is an example of the IP Network Radio. These are mobile Android cell phones with a large display for GPS and other apps. 

ANYSECU 4G-W2 N60 3G/4G LTE FDD Mobile Radio IP Network PTT Radio on Amazon 

The external antenna for the cellular network will improve the coverage for these units over a that of a handheld cell phone

The external GPS antenna will provide for better reception and remove dead spots.

The handheld radios the fire district uses cost around $1600 each. IP Network Radios cost around $200 plus a data charge of around $15.

These units would provide first responders with a mobile cell phone, a large display GPS unit as well as a PTT two-way radio system with range only limited by the cellular network.

There are some limitations on what cellular systems various IP Network Radios work on so check local cellular bands