Unincorporated areas, especially the ones south of town, are growing. But If there’s a big fire, there’s no telling who — if anyone — will show up to fight it.
It’s a problem goes back 40 years, and is now becoming critical, Florence Fire Chief David Strayer said. “We’re pressured constantly to respond out there. We’re having to say no a lot more.” He said the time has come for Pinal County to provide some leadership on the issue.
Maricopa and Pima counties went through this years ago as their populations grew quickly, so the problem isn’t unique, Strayer said. “At some point, it has to be addressed. … We get calls on a weekly basis to try to get us to leave our area for uncovered areas, and it’s just getting worse as the area grows.” In the summer of 2019, the Florence Fire Department was slammed on the evening news two nights in a row for not responding to a house that burned down 12 miles out of town.