CHINO VALLEY, Ariz. — Chino Valley Fire District (CVFD) received a request to respond to a structure fire on North Juniper Drive in Paulden on the morning of November 4, 2010.
Because the property was located outside the boundaries of the Chino Valley Fire District, an engine was not dispatched.
The Prescott Regional Communication Center received reports of a house heavily involved with fire. The house was completely destroyed by the fire.
Approximately thirty minutes after the initial call, CVFD was requested by Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office to respond to a medical emergency at the same address. An engine was dispatched, found no medical emergency, and returned to the station.
It is the policy of the Chino Valley Fire District to not respond to properties outside the district boundaries. Occasionally, CVFD does respond outside the boundaries if requested by Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office or Life Line Ambulance for known life threatening injuries or illness.
The Chino Valley Fire District has made several attempts to annex the unprotected areas of Paulden into the Fire District. These efforts have failed. A minimum of 51% of the property owners have to sign a petition in order to be annexed into the Fire District. No other agency provides fire protection services to these unprotected areas of Paulden at this time.
Chino Valley Fire District is a special taxing district which means properties inside the district boundaries pay property taxes to support fire and emergency medical services. People outside the district boundaries can purchase a Fire Protection Contract from the Fire District which will allow response for emergency medical and fire protection services to that property.
The cost to homeowners who are annexed into the district is 2.10 percent of the net assessed full cash value of their property each year. Yavapai County Assessors office sets the value of property. The homeowner is billed on their property tax bill. It does not cost the homeowner anything for the annexation process except maybe a legal description if they do not have one.
These costs range anywhere from $50 to over $5,000 depending on the value of the property.
A contract is the same cost as being annexed plus 25 percent administration fee. The property owner fills out a fire protection contract, it is submitted to the fire board and after approval, the contract becomes effective the first day of the next month. Example: If a property owner applies before Nov. 16, the board can vote on it at the meeting on Nov. 18 and it becomes effective Dec. 1, 2010 if approved.
Additionally, the property to be annexed must touch other fire district properties. Law does not allow single parcel annexations without being “contiguous” to other district properties.
Republished with permission from The Chino Valley Review.