[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6252356,"mediaKeyId","3189646-e2622ad497b5c00ce555ef67d3b3806b","parentId",3189646,"title","Professional Firefighters warn Arizona fire districts are understaffed and underfunded; lawmakers urged to act","audioSeconds",2130,"startMs",7936000,"endMs",10066000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3189646-e2622ad497b5c00ce555ef67d3b3806b&start=7936&end=10066","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3189646-e2622ad497b5c00ce555ef67d3b3806b/thumbnail_7936000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6252356/Arizona/Professional-Firefighters-warn-Arizona-fire-districts-are-understaffed-and-underfunded-lawmakers-urged-to-act","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252356-5b824ad2d015c17a9b5996e71580db8b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771013339&Signature=k-UTtc6JMjRJytFSVKgHFFNWOzg7EaOWY5M-wlYnMFg91NO98YMyVmCAXDY7luxlqWSSZLksNb-Pvo6ep4M-zY7uTm2R30zVSbjPvIAyGf-Cw7xJ6FO7bYPMpRu8gv4yRkWdVtfkqd0qTiW9dZMpSsfq~FBkNojYJIg2Cz0wM~jBO~y8l~DiBjmcoySRlL7G13Vh5f6mt448IyhUKZZNhD4D5mQXRBhjVrNgTOUyVa1bYlAF1nyMEgX0a844GDOiNIdmJ9dbYWzyEKhMa66VxHBWdIoaT~3O8up0FawYE0CJPEGzGLKkOu9mFS3lpyA9EO1qOUJV2XF73a-Smjysgg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Arizona Legislature","date","2025-05-02T00:00:00Z","article","Michael Freiberg, president of the Professional Firefighters of Arizona and an active fire captain, told the ad hoc committee that a majority of Arizona’s fire districts are understaffed and cannot meet the growing demands of wildfire season.

“We are not prepared for it,” Freiberg said. He told lawmakers that roughly 92% of Arizona fire districts have firefighting vacancies and that, over the next five years, the state will need about 1,000 additional firefighters just to replace current shortfalls.

Freiberg described structural funding limits that have left many fire districts operating on budgets equivalent to 2015 levels. He pointed to Proposition 117 (the 2012/2016 cap on secondary property tax increases referenced in testimony) and to a failed ballot measure (referred to in testimony as Proposition 310) that firefighters supported but voters narrowly rejected in 2022. Freiberg said many districts operate apparatus with fewer than the national recommended four personnel per engine and that mandatory overtime, equipment shortages and long apparatus build times worsen operational risk.

Committee members and witnesses described operational consequences: districts staffed at two people per apparatus face higher injury risk and reduced capability for concurrent incidents, and rural districts are disproportionately dependent on mutual aid from neighboring jurisdictions. Freiberg said that, while recent appropriations (including a $10 million state program for apparatus grants) have helped, one‑time funding is insufficient to solve persistent staffing and replacement needs.

Lawmakers discussed options including statutory changes to allow districts greater taxing flexibility, targeted appropriations, and other funding mechanisms. Several county supervisors and local chiefs who spoke during the hearing said rural voters would consider supporting sustained funding if they understood the wildfire and insurance risks. Committee chair Dave Marshall said the ad hoc would continue hearings in Payson, Coconino and Prescott and that lawmakers would pursue further information and proposals.

Freiberg urged lawmakers to treat frontline staffing and district capacity as a top priority, saying that stronger local capability reduces the need for state or federal surge resources, lowers suppression costs and shortens response times when fires start.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","05/02/2025 - Fire Preparedness Committee House Ad Hoc","oneSentenceSummary","The Professional Firefighters of Arizona told the committee that most fire districts face staffing vacancies and equipment shortfalls because of limits on district revenue, and that long‑term funding solutions are needed to keep frontline responders and rural communities safe.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Arizona, Arizona","taxId",78572,"location","Arizona","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6252361,"Utilities say PSPS, vegetation management and grid hardening are key to reducing ignition risk",2920,4253000,7173000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3189646-e2622ad497b5c00ce555ef67d3b3806b&start=4253&end=7173","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3189646-e2622ad497b5c00ce555ef67d3b3806b/thumbnail_4253000.jpg","/articles/6252361/Arizona/Utilities-say-PSPS-vegetation-management-and-grid-hardening-are-key-to-reducing-ignition-risk","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252361-de97945c293eedab5fff14f6744e4f6d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771013340&Signature=Eu~caDYFPwkkd7FzCpMXpNcM1rx~7RCUdhjLh7LzQ9tQmWIEObwb8WR~6Vm9RFVlJr6IXGOPCdPrwMoGTXgWW-oQOjQ8qZ5XN9NdzDA3PbqxiQBKTk-JvGSaFzWNHGoGLpHwzhaJMb8v6eZFxwUg9BRz64Lo-D1Nwz7vcy46p1JnOVj8ieFOfqmwgHPGH8cTbDolKztxr4KT~DKAHwcHX9r79fLzM7nJtVV0Tk2EJkkOtL~bLzj~uyzRQIljx7Ub4tI0uJ5-KnpYOfWOEHTm92oo6~fgGVIdVC5mmIu4rmqWFfDNI1eUDRGELTDqxlwEIPXsxbOwyNRiqAKZ-dv8GQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representatives from Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service told the House ad hoc committee they are investing in operational programs — public safety power shutoffs (PSPS), vegetation management, grid hardening and new sensing technology — to reduce the probability that utility equipment will start wildfires and to improve emergency response.

Jace Kirby of SRP described an eight‑pillar mitigation approach that includes situational awareness, operational practices, emergency response and vegetation management. SRP said it has a PSPS program targeted to specific high‑risk circuits and that decisions to de‑energize lines are strictly conditions‑driven and use multi‑day notifications when possible.

“Once those circuits are turned off, we will never be able to re‑energize them without inspecting that entire circuit again,” Kirby said, explaining SRP’s rationale for detailed pre‑event communications and staged inspections.

SRP said it is using weather monitoring, five full‑time meteorologists, Forest Service fuel information and other tools to make PSPS decisions and starts customer notifications as early as four days before a planned outage. SRP also said it has active defensible‑space and right‑of‑way programs and has developed partnerships to create consistent projects around critical transmission corridors.

Scott Bordenkircher of APS described a layered approach that includes vegetation management, hazard‑tree removal outside of rights‑of‑way, system hardening and targeted asset inspections. APS said about 20% of its lines are in the highest fire‑risk areas and that, across mitigation and grid investment categories, the company spends roughly $110 million annually related to wildfire risk reduction.

APS and SRP both described investments in camera networks and artificial‑intelligence smoke detection. APS said it started a program last year, is doubling the number of cameras this year and that the system has sometimes detected smoke before 9‑1‑1 calls. Both utilities said they deploy aircraft seasonally (air tanker bases in Marana, another planned in Wickenburg) and lease rather than own large aviation resources.

Lawmakers and county supervisors raised concerns about PSPS impacts on residents with medical equipment and private wells. Utilities said they use multi‑day warnings and work with county emergency managers to communicate, but officials acknowledged gaps remain for residents without strong digital/phone connections.

Committee members asked whether utilities should own aircraft or build more local water sources for scooper aircraft; utility witnesses said leasing aircraft shifts maintenance and insurance obligations to contractors, but they were open to exploring additional water basins or other pre‑positioned infrastructure where justified.","SRP and APS told the committee they are expanding public safety power shutoffs, vegetation management and grid hardening — including inspections, defensible spaces and cameras — to reduce utility‑caused ignitions and improve situational awareness during high‑risk periods.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6252365,"SRP details watershed restoration, funding partnerships and Good Neighbor Authority projects",1072,4153000,5225000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3189646-e2622ad497b5c00ce555ef67d3b3806b&start=4153&end=5225","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3189646-e2622ad497b5c00ce555ef67d3b3806b/thumbnail_4153000.jpg","/articles/6252365/Arizona/SRP-details-watershed-restoration-funding-partnerships-and-Good-Neighbor-Authority-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252365-f57c406bf66023842103d6e1f4a0b5c6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771013340&Signature=babEv-F0srDVD9cgENDBGG~DalBUslMHkMybnpkELDz6bKgbpfmUAa1fPQtuPKTPoy28YHTAr8rB5vSLNeweCMsqxIC3Fz-IulcOoxcwLJCYo2XNhOueKCT1ikasb19DIQDfqUdW6q8nrMCUqIegO5B7EndWIIsssLjfkkfMkPZMKXp3bXhdHvO4nAHre8suF3unDehl2Kbw6eR96fEczBucUntUqdARQ8sYis3Rk6KW5-Zvqmd~vBcjAmMuLK9GPBQyQAfegre1ycsAeQ56VmYnDfMFripliJO9SbWe~erC0XaOj2AjqyKEhzIb1HrvyVPeaAU1tnUE23Py7T2Wwg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Salt River Project officials told the House ad hoc committee SRP has invested in landscape‑scale restoration to protect watershed infrastructure and water supplies for Phoenix-area customers and to reduce wildfire risk.

“Starting in 2019 we approved a forest‑health goal to help thin 800,000 acres by 2035,” said Elvie Barton, SRP’s restoration program lead. She described SRP’s funding partnerships with federal agencies, counties, nonprofits and corporate donors (Google, Meta, Apple, PepsiCo, Coca‑Cola and others) to scale work on National Forest System lands.

Barton said SRP and partners have leveraged about $21 million in partner funding over four years and implemented 62,000 acres of restoration commitments across the Tonto, Coconino and Prescott National Forests, with 19,000 acres completed to date and more acreage under contract. She told the committee SRP expects another 54,000 committed acres over the next ten years and is pursuing an additional 100,000 acres of work beyond that.

SRP and DFFM have used Good Neighbor Authority agreements to implement treatments on federal lands, Barton said; those agreements let state or local entities oversee contracts and accelerate work in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service. SRP also described partnering with nongovernmental and private funders to underwrite projects and to create a more predictable supply of treated timber for private industry.

Committee members asked whether the state or federal governments could do more to sustain investment. Barton highlighted a federal bill (referred to in testimony as the Fix Our Forests Act) that would, among other provisions, extend Good Neighbor‑type authorities and allow timber receipts to be reinvested in landscape projects; Barton said continued federal funding in infrastructure bills and appropriations would leverage additional private dollars in Arizona.

SRP representatives said restoring forest density also provides measurable water benefits by reducing evapotranspiration and increasing soil moisture and runoff in treated areas — a benefit SRP models with academic partners to quantify the water yield improvements for the Phoenix metropolitan area.

SRP officials and committee members noted the work helps create demand that supports private mills and contractors. Several witnesses encouraged policies and incentives to build more processing and biomass capacity statewide so that thinning can scale without prohibitive transport costs.","Salt River Project told the committee it has committed funding and partners to scale thinning and restoration in Tonto, Coconino and Prescott National Forests and that private investment and federal cooperation are key to expanding work.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6252370,"State forester: Arizona faces varied fire risk; initial attack and mitigation expanded but gaps remain",691,1121000,1812000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3189646-e2622ad497b5c00ce555ef67d3b3806b&start=1121&end=1812","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3189646-e2622ad497b5c00ce555ef67d3b3806b/thumbnail_1121000.jpg","/articles/6252370/Arizona/State-forester-Arizona-faces-varied-fire-risk-initial-attack-and-mitigation-expanded-but-gaps-remain","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252370-0fdd1e827b91ae5e58a7ae94761f6cf6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771013340&Signature=mmQwrLsXDTJ-rE6idlYu2IdTudaYGWNXPAy~S1TcirXe2F3tmys2fs2mVwFK~oo-nB1iA0V675kHJLCkOtq6UUWylwm7fj5qcFolxbOzokklTIg1hy2HUlzLH2InZ5UeR8SwHFYrH76UAI62-1OmE8abkl5AKBrGXjGm82F-LOCnBqiSOjv0RXGZpaMM2PhViX0MAlLPP9cpt3taCSNAB4cC8la8~0GxKkvtxIiiapJAA7JSGvm1tWl4N8XuEAFczNSQlICuaBbdyvk7PPUh7NfltfSWL~-5QNPyh56LIo9Exd~cc6i5D~PpOgbddNVmgUlOqmOs2Caegs~q8nP-6A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tom Torres, director of the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, told the House Ad Hoc Committee on Fire Preparedness on Thursday that Arizona faces a widespread and variable wildfire threat and that the state has stepped up initial attack and mitigation but still faces capacity limits.

“We do it with our partners,” Torres said, describing a year in which Arizona saw about 2,160 wildland fire starts in 2024 and roughly 282,000 acres burned on all jurisdictions. “On average… about 442,000 acres a year are burned” across jurisdictions, he told the committee.

Torres described the state’s jurisdictional responsibilities, saying DFFM has primary suppression and vegetation-management roles across about 22,000,000 acres (state trust and private unincorporated land). He noted that federal, tribal and private lands add complexity: roughly 30,000,000 acres are under federal jurisdiction and about 20,000,000 acres are tribal lands.

The director highlighted Arizona’s 2024 response: the state tripled aviation resources from three to six air tankers, pre‑positioned equipment with local partners and spent about $21 million on suppression. He said DFFM treated nearly 24,000 acres in 2024 and had treated about 26,000 acres in early 2025, with a goal of 30,000 acres by June and 40,000 acres annually in 2026.

Torres described the Stronghold Fire in Cochise County as a recent example of the hazards the state faces. He said the fire — which began on state trust land and moved toward the Coronado National Forest and nearby communities — reached about 2,100 acres, was fought in unified command with federal partners and was estimated to cost $3 million to $4 million as suppression continued.

Committee members pressed Torres on budget and staffing. Representative David Blackman asked why the DFFM budget showed a $71 million reduction compared with prior infusions; Torres asked for time to provide detail. Dante Mitchell, Torres’ legislative liaison, explained that large one‑time appropriations in prior years (2021 and 2023) were non‑recurring and that some funds were reimbursement‑based and still committed to county projects.

Members also asked about changing fire regimes. Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton and others pressed Torres on the growing role of invasive grasses (buffelgrass, red brome, fountain grass) and how that has shifted both fire behavior and mitigation priorities in Sonoran Desert areas.

Torres described DFFM mitigation tools — mechanical thinning, mastication, inmate hand crews, prescribed fire, and chemical treatments — and said the agency had doubled private contractors from about 23 to roughly 50 to increase pace and scale. He said the agency had provided about $10 million in apparatus grants to roughly 31 local fire districts over the last two years and that more local support remained a priority.

Torres emphasized partnership as central to mitigation and response, citing collaborations with local fire districts, federal agencies, utilities and NGOs. He said Arizona’s Good Neighbor Authority work with the U.S. Forest Service and cooperative projects with groups such as The Nature Conservancy are key parts of scaling up forest restoration.

Until the committee recessed the DFFM discussion, members repeatedly asked for a detailed budget breakdown and for monthly reports; Torres and staff said they would provide those figures to the committee and to JLBC. The director told lawmakers that while more funding and capacity would be helpful, the state had expanded staff (from roughly 85 employees in 2021 to about 240) and was positioned to use further funding efficiently.

Looking ahead, Torres said the agency’s objective is to increase and sustain treatment acres and to continue building partnerships that can lower unit costs for mechanical thinning and prescribed fire. He cautioned that wildfire will remain part of many Arizona ecosystems and that the goal is to place landscapes in conditions where fire can play a more ecological, less destructive role.","Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management Director Tom Torres told a House ad hoc committee the state responded aggressively to 2024 starts, is expanding mitigation work and aims to treat 40,000 acres annually by 2026, while noting continuing budget and capacity constraints.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Professional Firefighters warn Arizona fire districts are understaffed and underfunded; lawmakers urged to act

Utilities say PSPS, vegetation management and grid hardening are key to reducing ignition risk

SRP details watershed restoration, funding partnerships and Good Neighbor Authority projects

State forester: Arizona faces varied fire risk; initial attack and mitigation expanded but gaps remain