The fire gear of Jason Maynard, a firefighter for Pinewood Fire District in Munds Park on March 4, 2025. (Photo by Samantha Rea/Cronkite News)
MUNDS PARK – Arizona lawmakers are considering two bills that would enhance fire departments’ ability to communicate with other agencies during a wildfire and pay for engines and water tenders that can travel over rugged terrain.
Sponsored by Sen. Kevin Payne, R-Peoria, SB 1297 proposes $6.5 million for Arizona municipal fire departments and fire districts. The grants, administered by the Department of Administration, would pay for a “secure incident management system” for three years.
The systems – durable computer tablets that can be used without internet in a disconnected mode and can withstand extreme temperatures – are designed to help fire departments work together to manage emergency responses during wildfires and accidents that involve multiple agencies. The tablets can identify the locations, status and assignment of resources. The improved systems also would allow sharing of maps, building floor plans and images.
Payne said the grants “will help protect firefighters like the Prescott 19 that didn’t have communications. If they come from different fire departments or different police departments, they’ll still be able to communicate.”
Nineteen members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew, a group in the Prescott Fire Department, were killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire on June 30, 2013. A shift in the weather changed the intensity and direction of the fire, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
The Yarnell Hill Fire Serious Accident Investigation Report concluded that radio communications were challenging throughout the incident because of heavy traffic and improperly programmed radios. As a result, crews had to figure out other ways to inform firefighters of their locations and the movement of the fire.
Josh Tope, fire chief of the Pinewood Fire District in Munds Park, said radios are the primary form of communication in the field; nobody goes without one. However, in wildfires where 1,000 people and multiple agencies could be involved, systems that facilitate communication are crucial to avoiding tragedies. The location and tracking abilities of the proposed systems would allow firefighting crews to see other responder locations in a wildfire, he said.
According to data from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, there were 2,149 fires from January through mid-December 2024, compared with 1,817 during the same period in 2023. Tiffany Davila, spokesperson for the forestry department, told azcentral.com that the 2024 fires resulted in 93,229 more acres burned than in the previous year.
The second bill, SB 1285, proposes $12.5 million from the state general fund in fiscal 2026 to the forestry department to buy fire engines and tactical water tenders. The bill, sponsored by Sen. David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista, also would add $250,000 for the Arizona Trail Fund.
If approved, the money for fire equipment would be distributed to the state’s five district offices. The districts could use the funds to purchase tactical water tenders, and Type 3 and Type 6 fire engines. The equipment is meant for off-road firefighting in rural and wildland areas.
Water tenders are used to transport water or foam to the fireline. Unlike a typical water tender, a tactical water tender can perform a “pump-and-roll” technique, allowing the tender to drive slowly while pumping water.
Kim Quintero, communications director for Senate Republicans, said both bills passed in the Senate and are being heard in the House. If passed, they would need Gov. Katie Hobbs’ signature to become law.
“The funding allocations will be considered within the entire picture of the state budget, which requires negotiations between lawmakers and the governor,” she said in an email. “I know this funding is a priority, but it’s too early to tell what the final outcome will be.”
Jason Maynard, a firefighter for the Pinewood Fire District, said the visual aspect the tablets provide would be useful for transporting critically injured patients. He said firefighters often are asked if they have a picture of an accident when transporting patients. When there is no time to snap a picture of the accident scene, another agency or crew could take the picture and share it through the new system.
Payne said the response from firefighters to SB 1297 has been positive.
Buckeye Fire Chief Jake Rhoades, president of the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association, said his department is already working on implementing the tablets.
“We support … funding being allowed so that other departments can get on, implement the program and make it fully functional across the Valley,” he said.
Buckeye Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Rayne Gray said the new technology would expand their capacity and interoperability across agencies.
Tope also affirmed the fire community’s support for SB 1297 and said he hopes to see more bills like it. He said funding ebbs and flows.
“It (funding) really never seems to go away, which is a good thing, but it would be nice to see more consistency, so that these fire departments can plan strategically for the long term,” Tope said.
Maynard said that as operating costs rise, funding is crucial to keep fire services running.
“I sometimes feel like the districts in the state have been forgotten,” Maynard said. “If we don’t have adequate staffing to take care of our community, our response is going to be delayed significantly.”
But where state and federal funds fall short, some communities are picking up the slack. Tope said he is honest with community members in the northern Arizona mountain town about the fire district’s budget. The community has taken it upon themselves to raise money for the fire station, grateful for the service they provide, he said.