PHOENIX — The United Phoenix Firefighters Association says a lack of resources and ongoing population growth are causing rising response times within the Phoenix Fire Department. They say it's a problem that’s not going away anytime soon.
There are 58 fire stations across Phoenix. The fire department and firefighters' union are hoping to get eight more approved and included in the 2023 bond election. So far, they've only been approved for four of them. Keep in mind, that for that to actually pass and become reality, it would be up to voters.
Longer response times are putting Phoenix residents in an alarming situation and The United Phoenix Firefighters Association is making that clear.
"When you're talking about a structure fire with people trapped, you're talking about cardiac arrest, traumatic injury, stroke - all those scenarios where time is a critical factor and seconds matter and seconds count in terms of someone being able to survive something," says P.J. Dean of the Phoenix Firefighters Association.
In the last 10 years, Phoenix Fire tells us their call response times have gone from around five minutes - the ideal standard - to almost nine minutes. Based on city growth and demand projections, response times to EMS incidents could reach 11 minutes by 2026.
"So our highest priority project that we are bringing forward is a replacement of fire station #7," says Scott Walker with Phoenix Fire Department.
Phoenix Fire presented its data at a city public safety hearing on Monday. They pointed out that from 2009 to 2019, demand for services increased at a rate of 46%.
On the other hand, capacity during that same time frame increased by less than 10%. That includes new fire stations, new equipment, and new firefighters.
"I'm asking the subcommittee and staff to consider addressing this problem immediately," says Rick DeGraw a Public Safety Subcommittee member.
DeGraw showed his support during the hearing, with the request for more fire stations. The department would also like more gear and firefighters.
"Public safety has to be prioritized. You can have the greatest parks, schools, community centers in the world... it won't matter much if your community does not feel safe where it lives," says Dean.
ABC15 started looking into this problem in May when Ahwatukee residents reached out to us regarding delayed response times at what they call "a dangerous intersection." But, the problem continues to grow.
"For the first time now, it has comprehensively overtaken Phoenix, to the point of grave concern."
