The Sedona Fire District released its annual report for calendar year 2022 on Aug. 16.

“The biggest challenge is aligning culture within the organization and forecasting our future with delays and equipment needs to get personnel on-boarded for different positions,” Fire Chief Ed Mezulis said. Mezulis added that his priority for his second year in the job would be “to continue safe operations and work towards managing capital improvement needs that we have. Which is improving our radio infrastructure and then looking at [the] construction of Station 4.”

• SFD’s Station 4, located at 391 Forest Road in Uptown, has several structural issues, including a large crack down the center of its engine bay and insufficient space.

• Station 5, located at 3971 SR 89A, is also cramped because SFD is not able to make site improvements there due to its lease agreement for the location with the Garland family. The district has discussed relocating Station 5 to Slide Rock State Park to be more central for Oak Creek Canyon for years but has no current plans to do so. 

“The replacement of Station 4 and Station 5 will allow us to modernize our facilities to meet current safety codes, standards and technological advancements,” the annual report stated. “Upgrading the infrastructure ensures that our firefighters have adequate living quarters, efficient workspaces and enough room for housing emergency apparatus like ambulances and fire engines.”

• Station 6, located at 2675 State Route 179, serves the Chapel area and Bell Rock and was paid off this year at a total cost of $2,872,641. The funds previously allocated to paying off Station 6 will now be applied toward future construction at Station 4.

Staffing

“SFD completed a transition from a combined department to a full-time professional organization almost 20 years ago,” the report stated. “Many of the staff that helped the tail-end of their public safety career. 2022 marked the beginning of a five-year wave of changes due to retirements and other organizational opportunities.”

Battalion Chief Dave Cochrane will be among those retirements. A walkout is scheduled for the end of August. 

“We don’t have anybody [else] that has announced [retirement] in the near future,” Mezulis said. “But we’ve got a lot of folks that are in the pipeline, and in a position where they could retire [tomorrow] if they chose to.”

Fourteen applicants recently interviewed for firefighter job openings with the district and a list of eligible candidates is currently being prepared.

“Then this week we’ll be starting the process for radio technicians,” Mezulis said. “Then we’re going to move on getting a fire inspector process going as soon as possible.”

Last year’s new hires for SFD included Jacob Schwisow and Chaz Macari as firefighters, Noah Stone as a firefighter medic, Matthew Spinelli as a GIS analyst and Joshua Clounch as a user support technician.

SFD’s Community Risk Reduction Division saw a 34% decrease in inspections to 587 from 788 in 2021, while plan reviews decreased 14% to 526 from 601 the previous year. Code consultations increased by 7% to 107 and home ignition zone assessments were done 31 times compared to nine in 2021.

“2022 saw decreases in many of our areas,” the report stated. “Construction is typically cyclical with off years. Staffing shortages throughout 2022 due to major medical situations resulted in less inspections and plan reviews being conducted. It is anticipated that the numbers will increase again in 2023 based upon preliminary construction and planning meetings, the increase in code consultations and staff returning to full duty.”

Partnerships

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic Northern Arizona Healthcare pulled back on several of its programs in the Verde Valley such as reducing the hours its catheterization lab is open and ceasing a community paramedic program Mezulis explained part of his first year has been engaging with community partners such as NAH.

SFD has also partnered with Start Moving On Counseling to provide mental health resources to SFD staff and with the 1501 Foundation to offer free yoga classes. The 1501 Foundation in July received $5,000 from the city of Sedona’s Small Grant Program to provide yoga and mindfulness training for SFD; the foundation had requested $20,000 for the program.

One of the more significant operational changes for 2022 was the hiring of Matthew Spinelli in September as a GIS specialist to “optimize resource allocation, improve response times and enhance overall operational effectiveness.”

“He’s working on hydrant locations, mapping trail systems,” Mezulis said. “He’s working on a product we’re going to use on our stations to help alert our guys and get them out the door earlier. He’s working with community partners on lighting maps, whether it’s the Cottonwood Regional Communication Center or the city of Sedona.”

Major equipment purchases in 2022 included:

• $1,493,295 for two Pierce Type I fire engines in April 2022

• $688,159 for self-contained breathing apparatus in September 2022

• $281,103 for a Scheduled Type 6 wildland engine in October 2022

• $130,000 for a technical rescue truck in June 2022 to replace a 2000 Ford F250 that has exceeded its service life

“This apparatus improves SFD response to the forested areas between Sedona and Cottonwood,” the report stated. “Wildfires are the single largest risk to Sedona and surrounding communities. Sedona Fire District has a robust wildland division which responds to local fires and travels across the country in support of the National Wildland Fire Response Plan. Last year, Sedona firefighters spent over 250 days off-district in support of large wildfire suppression.” 

SFD responded to a total of 4,802 calls during the 2022 calendar year. EMS made up nearly 70% of its call volume. There were 210 backcountry rescue calls in 2022, an increase of 26 from the previous year.