Sherwood Forest Estates
Fire District
450 Little John Road,
Williams, AZ 86046-8579
Phone: (928)635-9837
Fax:(928)635-9618
Email: sherwoodfire@qwestoffice.net
FISCAL YEAR REPORT
July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021
CHIEF’S OVERVIEW
The Sherwood Forest Estates Fire District (SFEFD) is dedicated to providing effective emergency response and hazard mitigation to the Sherwood Forest Estates and Mountain Rose Ranch Estates developments while also engaged as a mutual resource to our regional emergency response partners. This report is an overview of our organization, a review of the significant projects completed during the fiscal year, a listing of the emergency incidents responded to, the operational & maintenance expenditures, and a demographic overview of our team members’ skill sets, training, experience, and tenure.
Beginning July of 2020 I placed the readiness of our apparatus and the safety of our personnel as the highest priority. This required significant capital expenditures to address deferred fleet maintenance issues, significant needed facility repairs and upgrades, and new and improved firefighting equipment.
I can state with confidence that these efforts have resulted in a more functional fleet, a higher level of operational capability, and a safer work environment for our firefighters. All this while focusing our limited funding to those most critical areas of need.
Our effort to ensuring a ready fleet was first initiated with an examination of it’s composition as compared to its functional appropriateness to the district’s known threats, the district’s funding resources to properly maintain such a fleet, and the ability of our facility to properly house the fleet. I determined that transitioning to a smaller, more agile and responsive fleet that the district would be able to properly maintain within our existing budget funds was necessary. A concerted effort was made to increase the multi functional capability of each apparatus making each vehicle usable in a variety of situations rather than limited to a single task. One addition to the fleet did come from the Three Points Fire District in the form of a 2004 Ford Excursion. This vehicle was transferred to the SFEFD with no associated cost. This vehicle is being used as our command vehicle.
The fire trucks and firefighting equipment that were worn-out, broken, or damaged beyond economic repair were returned to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management or disposed of following established SFEFD Policy. This action was integrated with a significant facility overhaul effort. Much clutter and obsolete items were cleared out to make way for new storage racks purchased to properly position firefighting equipment and supplies up off the floor. The entire fleet now has full indoor parking locations. A fleet restructuring is never complete. As items become obsolete, attain excessive age or mileage, they will be continuously reviewed for replacement in the future and as appropriate. The district will seek replacement equipment using its existing funding sources and when possible with cooperative government agreements and grant funding.
I also want to point out that our ability to be an effective emergency response organization is because of our people. Our members are all volunteers who take time away from their families and are truly the backbone of the fire district. Like the fleet, our organization needs to maintain our personnel’s skills sets for them to be effective and for their own safety. To maintain our ranks ongoing recruitment, like training, is a necessity.
As of this writing we were just confronted with a large fire in our region. The combined support of our community, fire board, fire department personnel, and neighboring fire agencies ensured we responded appropriately. We are re-committed to continuing the efforts of improving our skill sets and operational capabilities.
There is still more to do. We, like any government public safety agency, must continuously be prepared to fulfill our mission on a moment’s notice. That requires the fleet, facility, and our personnel, to remain in a constant state of preparedness which requires ongoing, unceasing firefighter training, fleet maintenance, the implementation of the latest fire suppression methods, and the integration of better equipment.
The Fire District would be remiss if it failed to state its appreciation for the exceptional assistance provided by the Sherwood Firefighters Foundation (SFF). It has assisted us in our needs and stepped up to help as outlined on pages 4 & 5. The SFEFD was provided exceptional assistance, however from this point forward, we will be held to the same 50/50 matching grant criteria that all other agencies adhere to and we must fund & budget our needs accordingly.
I appreciate any feedback and suggestions the Fire Board may have and would encourage the residents of our fire district to reach out to us with their thoughts.
We encourage everyone to visit our website and welcome any comments via email or by a personal visit to the firehouse. This public document will be posted on the fire district’s website and disseminated to the SFE POA and MRRE HOA to further public outreach and transparency of our efforts as a tax payer funded public safety organization.
Organizational Chart
SHERWOOD FOREST ESTATES FIRE DISTRICT
FIRE BOARD
↓
TRAINING ← FIRE CHIEF → ADMINISTRATIVE
FIRE PREVENTION COORDINATOR
PUBLIC INFORMATION
FIRE EQ INSPECTION TEAM
↓
ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF
↙ ↘
FIRE / EMS OPERATIONS WATER TENDER OPERATIONS
Fleet Composition / Maintenance Expenditures
Apparatus Year/Make/ Age in years Maintenance Cost
| Engine 1 | 2006/GMC / 15 | $9,318.67 |
| Tender 4 | 2002 / FL70 /19 | $5,369.07 |
| Tender 5 | 2000 / FL70 / 21 | $11,834.36 |
| Brush 6 | 1985 / Chevy / 36 | $8,941.10 |
| Tender 8 | 2000 / FL80 / 21 | $9,612.56 |
| Brush 11 | 1992 / Ford /29 | $6,467.47 |
| FR 10 | 1999 / Chevy / 22 | $250.00 |
| Ford Excursion | 2004 / Ford / 17 | $2,977.41 |
| Total | $54,770.92 |
Completed Station Repairs & Upgrades – $41,159.74
- Electrical repairs & upgrades to Buildings 1 and 2 – $9,349.50*
*Note – 100% funding provided by a grant from the Sherwood Firefighters Foundation.
- Apparatus Doors Widening Project Building 1 and Building 2 Door Repairs – $11,911.24*
* Note – 100% funding provided by a grant from the Sherwood Firefighters Foundation.
- Building 1 Gutter Repair – $1,044.52
- Building 1 and 2 concrete apron project – $18,699.00*
*Note 50/50 cost sharing agreement / grant funding from the Sherwood Firefighters Foundation.
Funding Source Totals
SFE Fire District $10,549.50 (25%)
Sherwood Firefighters Foundation $30,610.24 (74.%)
Note – The Sherwood Firefighters Foundation funded our grant requests well in excess of the standard 50/50 cost sharing agreement that all other agencies are held to. Their assistance is greatly appreciated.
In Progress District Upgrades – $41,004.26
- Wildland Fire Threat Reduction – Cost: None
In cooperation with AZ Department of Forestry and Fire Management, a fuels thinning project to the 330 acre parcel of State Trust Land that immediately borders the Sherwood Forest Estates development to the south. This project is critical to reduce the fire danger to the residents and properties of the SFE development.
- Radio Repeater Project – $20,000.00*
A project being coordinated with High Country Fire Rescue, Ponderosa Fire, and Junipine Fire. The eventual goal is to share a new radio repeater system which will permit all 4 agencies to communicate. This is critical as it will exponentially enhance communications and agency coordination during emergencies. This will also enhance the safety of our personnel and increase the effectiveness of our responses.
* Note 90% of costs to be provided by Sherwood Firefighters Foundation.
- Purchase of Firefighting packs – $9,946.80*
*Note- 50/50 cost sharing with AZ Department of Forestry and Fire Management via the Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant.
Funding Source Totals
SFE Fire District – $8,114.81 (26.2%)
Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant – $4,832.00 (15.6%)
Sherwood Firefighters Foundation – $18,000.00 (58.1%)
Ongoing Projects:
- Ensure continued Preventative Maintenance program for apparatus
- Annexation of the 330 acre State Trust Land parcel
- Fleet Tire Replacement program
- Securis Workers Compensation coverage
- Office Upgrade
- Firefighters Self Contained Breathing Apparatus Upgrade
- Engine 1 Equipment Upgrade
- Completion of a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) report to revise the current USFS Special Use Permit for facility improvements
Members Demographic
Current Number of Members: 11
Command Group – Fire Chief and Assistant Fire Chief are both professional Firefighters with a combined 48 years of experience.
Age Group Number of Personnel
| 20’s | 1 |
| 30’s | 3 |
| 40’s | 0 |
| 50’s | 3 |
| 60’s | 2 |
| 70’s | 2 |
Years of Service Number of Personnel
| 1 | 4 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 6 | 1 |
| 13 | 1 |
| 16 | 1 |
| 32 | 1 |
Basics Training / Type Number of Personnel
| Wildland Basics (130/190) | 7 |
| Structure Basics (FF 1/FF 2) | 2 |
| Medical Basics (CPR/AED) | 6 |
| EMT | 2 |
Training Hours (July 2020 – July 2021)
| 2020 | 12 Training sessions | 189.5 Training hours |
| 2021 | 12 Training sessions | 144 Training hours |
| Total | 24 Training sessions | 333.5 Training hours |
Incidents
July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021
Type Incidents
| Medical | 11 |
| Structure Fire | 6 |
| Illegal Burning | 11 |
| Traffic Accident | 2 |
| Wildland Fire | 4 |
| Move up | 1 |
| Train Fire | 1 |
| Smoke Scare | 3 |
| Assistance | 1 |
| Train vs Pedestrian | 1 |
| Total: | 41 |
Reported incidents previous year July 2019 – July 2020 = (7)
Future Goals:
Rafael Fire After-Action Review
- What could be improved for community notification?
- Readiness?
- Evacuation?
Administration:
- Develop annual calendar
- Personnel file review/update
- New member recruitment, orientation and training
- Taskbook Documentation
- Website review
- Securis information
- Standard Operating Guidelines
Training:
- Continue scenario based trainings
- Increase interaction with regional partners
- Continue multi-functional use of apparatus
- Increase medical training skill sets
- Focus on certifications
- Driver Training
Apparatus:
- Tender 8 improvements and dump valves
- Tender 5 dump valves
- Tender 4 water leak
- Trailer 10 improvements (suction and pump capability)
- Trailer for movement of orange porta tank (4,000 Gal)
Station:
- Continue emergency power project
- Continue third building planning
- On site refueling provisions
- Water tank improvements
Respectfully Submitted,
John D. Moede, Fire Chief
July 9, 2021