I can’t believe it’s already the middle of May. This year has been very busy so far, but mostly good things. I finished the captain’s promotion test this Wednesday. The Chief’s interview will be scheduled after the candidate has had the opportunity to review the test and the grievance period has ended.

We held an AAR after testing was complete and were able to get direct feedback from the evaluators. Overall, things seemed to go well and the process felt healthy. Next is the battalion commander exam in August.

There are currently no vacancies for corporate officers. But as we all know, things change after BC testing. The number of spots expected over the next 12 months is subject to change as staffing changes depend on budget approval and the success of his SAFER grant. So let’s call it fluid.

A $150 million appropriation bill that had passed Congress to fund fire district projects was voided upon arrival. I don’t know what happened, but he passed away unexpectedly and unfortunately this Tuesday. I don’t think you could call him completely dead, but they appropriated him $5 million out of his $150 million.

To be honest, the money was better than a quick kick, but the bill was watered down to the point that the money wasn’t necessarily for the fire district. Rather, it included fire districts, municipal fire departments, and law enforcement agencies. Ultimately, the original purpose of the bill was not achieved. Maybe we can still get some funding, but it’s going to be too little money for every government agency in the state.

I won’t get into my personal opinion here. It’s amazing, of course… but let’s just say her two poorly managed districts in the state got relief. That’s great for them, but the rest of us making sound financial decisions are paying the political price for the sins of others.

what exactly does that mean? Seeking to address the challenge of funding fire districts across the state, legislators and special interests use her two districts above to paint every fire district with a broad brush. It’s not far from the truth. Yes, there are some bad issues, but the district as a whole is managed equally, if not better, than most other government agencies in the state.

District 2 of Yavapai County made poor financial decisions on bonds last year. They were eventually bailed out in federal dollars. It’s important to note that this is an example that legislators used to push for GO Bond restrictions on fire districts. Remember, Fire Districts are currently the only agency in the state with limited powers to request GO bonds from voters. Wrong choices were made, those districts bailed out by the federal government, and the rest of us left stranded in the aftermath.

The question we have as a fire district is, what do we do next? Arizona’s fire district funding structure is broken and not sustainable in the long term. Verde Valley FD Chief Danny Johnson and I are setting up a meeting with the new county administrator and county supervisor. Our aim is to discuss with them other potential models that are viable for the Yavapai County fire district. I don’t really know what it will be like, but at least we should have a conversation.

After all, not all is lost. am i annoyed? without a doubt. Are you ready to raise your hand and say there’s nothing more you can do? By no means. You just need to be more creative with your approach. We build a truly sustainable model. It just takes a little while to get there.

NAU submitted a research proposal on feasible housing in our area to the Board for approval. The purpose of the survey is to determine what other communities in the state and across the country have done to address housing available to first responders and to provide us with recommendations. This information will help us continue to work with local developers, communities and states towards viable solutions.

They fully support the concept of our cadet program. Based on what we’ve seen beforehand, we feel that building a local pipeline is one of the better options for recruitment and retention. And since they already live here, housing may not be so difficult. To be honest, it means they live at home with their parents longer. It’s certainly not ideal, but at least I can pay my rent. What we need is access to housing at an achievable level of price and additional rental properties at reasonable prices. Financial assistance, such as a down payment, is also a good idea.

The Board plans to approve the provisional budget at its May Board meeting. After approval, the budget can be decreased, but not increased. The Board is seeking an additional budget proposal of $0.01 to $0.02 above the currently recommended rate hike. These funds may be transferred to our capital reserve account. As previously stated, we recommended deferring new engine orders until the capital reserve account balance exceeds the current $7.9 million. The goal, based on current budgets and generally accepted accounting principles, is for that account to approach $14 million. As we all know, things are getting ridiculously expensive.

Prior to opening your application, you will now see promotions for the upcoming firefighter recruitment process on social media. This is about marketing. Join us by sharing our posts to spread the word. The final budget won’t be approved until June, so we don’t know exactly how many positions are open. That said, we have positions that need to be filled, whether or not the seven new positions are approved. Recruitment starts on June 5th, so please start recruiting now.

My cancer screening is scheduled for next Friday in Phoenix. Yes, I’m not sure what I’ll find, but I’m thrilled to have such a comprehensive physical. If anything is found, it is hoped that effective treatment will be given early enough. If they don’t find anything, I can walk away feeling half-sane – I’m still a little limping, to be honest.

The grants we received for these tests provided many of our operational staff with an excellent opportunity to obtain a good baseline of their current health status. These are not required, but we encourage you to take advantage of them while the grant is available. At this time, we do not know if there will be future funding to provide full testing for everyone. I hope that at least funds can be found to conduct regular inspections.

Remember Sunday is Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day to all CAFMA moms!!

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