Black Canyon VFD
OBJECTIVE
Funding through this grant program will enable Black Canyon Volunteer
Fire Department to replace our 1970 homemade 1,200-gallon tanker and
dilapidated 1982 American LaFrance pumper, purchased
from the City of
The department has one additional tanker, a 1975 Dodge, and one additional pumper, a 1992 International 3-person cab.
DEPARTMENT/COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHICS
The department (Fire District)
encompasses 200 square miles including the rural communities of Bumble Bee,
The topography of our response area is mostly
hilly terrain with some flat land, with vegetation typical of the
Approximately 65% of all
dwellings are accessed by single or two-lane paved roads, 35% by unimproved
roads, and 5% by primitive roads/trails requiring the use of 4-wheel drive
vehicles. In addition, approximately 3%
of all dwellings are accessed via a driveway or road with a grade of 8% or
greater. An 8-mile section of Interstate
17, with no more than a single half mile section of straight roadway on the
downhill lanes, is cut away from the side of a mountain and has a 6%
grade. During the winter months,
response to incidents at the top of this 8-mile portion may start on dry
pavement and end in snow due to the significant increase in elevation. According to a 1999 study conducted by the
Arizona Department of Transportation, an average of 31,523 vehicles travel the
Interstate through our jurisdiction on a daily basis, of which 20% are commercial
trucks. In addition, the study revealed
the vehicle accident rate per mile, over a five-year period, was 18.6 over the
relatively flat portions of Interstate 17, and 30.3 on
the section of Interstate that has a 6% grade.
Approximately 75% of our response
area is Bureau of Land Management land, 15% State of
Elevation of the area
ranges from 2,000 to 3,200 feet, with surrounding mountains reaching over 4,000
feet. The temperature during the summer
months typically ranges from 110 to 115 or more degrees.
Water supply for fire protection
is limited to 21 hydrants (mostly 2.5-inch standpipes) located in a small area
of
All combined, the topography,
climate, terrain, access to dwellings, and lack of water sources require a
vehicle above a “stock” or standard model.
The department provides fire
prevention, fire suppression, first responder level hazardous material, basic
and advanced life support services from one fire station located in
The department has not considered
upgrading or rebuilding our 32-year- old ex-military tanker due to its age and
the difficulty of obtaining parts to repair it.
The water tank on this vehicle was put together by joining two
600-gallon fuel tanks, which have no side-to-side baffles, and has a 30-GPM
pump. With a maximum speed of 25 MPH
while ascending the section of Interstate 17 with the 6% grade, this vehicle is
a significant traffic hazard.
Our 1982 American LaFrance pumper is well beyond any type of cost effective
improvements. It was purchased from the
City of
The motor (original) has 180,913
miles and 3,584.25 hours of usage.
According to the Phoenix Fire Department, this pumper responded to at
least 40,000 incidents while in use by that department. Thus far, it has responded to an additional
200 incidents while with our department.
The particular problems with this
vehicle include:
1.
All
of the body compartment walls have rusted through after many years of the
booster tank lid leaking water. The
booster reel had to be removed before it actually fell through the floor due to
the amount of rust.
2.
The
pump has not passed a pump test in two years, even though all valves have been
rebuilt, and needs to be completely rebuilt.
3.
The
entire electrical system is in need of a complete overhaul.
4.
The
booster tank only carries 500 gallons
5.
The
vehicle has cost the department over $80,000 to repair and maintain.
Because this vehicle is so
unreliable, our department has to rely on mutual aid units from
The new pumper/tanker would be
available for mutual aid response to
First, and most importantly, the
purchase of a new commercial vehicle built to NFPA specifications will enable
our firefighters to handle a multitude of situations from a single vehicle that
is both safe and reliable.
Second, a vehicle with a properly
specified drive train will enable us to significantly reduce our response
times. Our 1992 pumper is underpowered
(250 HP with 1,250 gallons of water) and the maximum speed it can reach when
ascending the section of Interstate 17 with the 6% grade is 35 MPH. The unit then becomes a hazard on the
Interstate where the posted speed limit is 65 MPH, and the average speed is 80
MPH.
Third, our vehicle maintenance
and repair costs will drop considerably, enabling us to put those savings to
much better use.
The department’s primary source
of revenue is the Fire District tax, which produces $381,000. We are unable to increase our tax rate since
it is already at the maximum allowable by law, $3.00 per secondary assessed
valuation. Attempts to fund a new
vehicle through other grant programs have not been successful. Unfortunately, the department is not able to
obtain a bank loan (lease/purchase) due to our current debt obligations.
Simply put, the department needs a vehicle with a large enough engine to ascend the hills at a minimum of 55 miles per hour, a reliable secondary braking system to descend the hills safely, a heavy-duty suspension to handle the unimproved roads, a large water tank with a foam system to maximize all available water, and a lighting system for working safely at night-time incidents. In addition, it needs a vehicle that will serve the department and community for many years to come, so that the investment is the most cost effective solution. After discussing with various manufacturers the specifications of a no-frills new commercial chassis vehicle that meets the needs of our response area, the cost of such a vehicle would be $251,418.00.
The department has received CDBG funds ($30,000) this year for the purchase of new SCBAs. The department also received federal funds through the Bureau of Land Management for brush fire fighting equipment. None of the federal funds we received this year will be used toward this grant process.
If we are able to obtain funding
to purchase a new pumper/tanker, this will be also utilized for mutual aid
incidents in neighboring departments and the Bureau of Land Management area, as
has been done with our current vehicles.