TITLE
The Mayor and City Council shall discuss and take action on approving an Intergovernmental agreement with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. Discussion and Action.
AGENDA ITEM DESCRIPTION
The Maricopa Fire & Medical Department (MFMD) participates in the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management’s Wildland Fire and All-Hazard Incident Response Program under a Cooperative Fire Rate Agreement (FM104) with the State Forester. The current agreement, AZ-MAR-2024-02, is valid from April 1, 2024, through March 31, 2029.
This program reimburses the Department at hourly rates for equipment use, personnel salary costs for employees deployed on resource orders, and partial backfill costs for covering shifts while employees are deployed. Participation ensures that no local taxpayer funds are used for salaries or equipment costs related to these deployments. The State Forester may update the agreement periodically, and such updates will automatically apply to this Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA).
BACKGROUND
Since 2009, MFMD has deployed personnel and equipment across Arizona and the United States to assist in managing major wildfires and all-risk incidents, including floods, hurricanes, and other natural or man-made disasters. Deployments occur either through federal resource orders or through requests made under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) between states.
During periods of staffing challenges, such as the summer of 2017 when there were numerous long term injuries reducing staffing levels, the Department paused deployment activity to prioritize City coverage, demonstrating a clear, disciplined approach to balancing local and national obligations. City coverage is, and will always be, the top priority of the fire department.
PROGRAM BENEFITS
Training, Specialization, and National Qualification:
Participation in the Wildland and All-Hazard Incident Response Program requires all firefighters to operate under the Incident Qualification System (IQS), a national certification system requiring specialized training and qualifications at every level. Every City of Maricopa firefighter holds additional training as a Wildland Firefighter and completes an annual Wildland Firefighter Refresher every spring to maintain these critical qualifications. Several MFMD members hold advanced wildland and incident management qualifications, enhancing the Department’s ability to operate effectively in highly complex environments. The program is directly supervised by the Fire Chief, who not only oversees compliance and training but also holds the highest operational certification: a Type 1/Complex Incident Management qualification. Additionally, the Fire Chief is one of a select few nationally recognized instructors who coaches and evaluates candidates pursuing their final certification for Complex Incident Management leadership. This ensures the program is guided by leadership with real-world, nationally recognized expertise across multiple disaster types.
Operational Readiness and Local Risk Reduction:
Real-world experience on complex incidents from wildfires to floods to infrastructure emergencies enhances MFMD firefighters’ skills in incident command, resource management, and strategic decision-making. This directly strengthens the Department’s use of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and improves response coordination for local incidents. Given the City’s exposure to wildland fire risks in western Pinal County, this operational readiness is critical. In 2024, a fire south of Mobile into Hidden Valley threatened critical utility infrastructure that would have significantly impacted the City. Thanks to strong working relationships with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of Forestry and Fire Management, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management, relationships built through years of deployments, MFMD was able to coordinate an effective, rapid multi-agency response.
Relationship Building:
Wildland and all-hazard deployments build essential partnerships with local, regional, state, and federal agencies that regularly respond to emergencies in and around Maricopa. These relationships enhance mutual aid, operational efficiency, and response times during major incidents affecting the City and surrounding areas.
RISK MANAGEMENT AND DEPLOYMENT PROCESS
The Fire Department uses a strict internal approval and deployment policy. Before any deployment, leadership reviews current staffing levels, evaluates upcoming City events, planned trainings, and operational demands up to two weeks in advance. If staffing allows and the deployment vacancies can be covered with no operational impacts, resources may be deployed. If there are any concerns, City coverage remains the absolute priority, and deployment requests are declined. MFMD limits deployment to up to four personnel on a fire apparatus and one individual to a Complex Incident Management Team management position.
Deployments may be requested through state wildfire mobilization, federal all-hazard resource orders, or through EMAC activations between states for major disasters, ensuring MFMD is positioned to assist wherever the need arises and to bringing that valuable experience home.
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
The program provides the City of Maricopa with a highly trained, nationally qualified firefighting force ready to protect both local neighborhoods and critical infrastructure. Through these deployments, MFMD brings national-level best practices back home, ensuring safer, smarter, and faster responses when our own community is threatened.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of the Cooperative Fire Rate Agreement AZ-MAR-2024-02 with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, allowing continued participation in the Wildland and All-Hazard Incident Response Program under the updated terms.