Scottsdale group seeking to de-privatize fire department.

• Position: News Briefs - Brief Article

An outraged citizens group in Scottsdale, Arizona, is looking to replace the private Rural/Metro Fire Department with a municipal fire department. The Committee to Protect Scottsdale and Our Firefighters claims Rural/Metro's staffing and response are unacceptable and unsafe. The group cites a consultant's report that concludes that Rural/Metro can only reach 52 percent of the city within four minutes and that only 49 percent of the city can be reached by 12 firefighters in eight minutes--both national standards. Another issue is Rural/Metro's practice of putting only two or three firefighters on its trucks instead of the minimum of four...