But who pays for the fire and ambulance visit? In many parts of the country, the fire department is supported by your property taxes. That is not the way it works in unincorporated Pima county. Here, fire department services are provided by Rural/Metro, a private company that is not supported by taxes.
The purpose of this article is to let homeowners, and especially homeowners new to the area, know how fire and ambulance services are paid for in our area, and how that affects you, the homeowner.
The key point is that Rural/Metro charges the homeowner for their services. As a homeowner, you can pay for services in one of two ways. You may subscribe to Rural/Metro for a fixed cost per year (payable monthly if desired) and receive their services when needed at no extra cost. Or you may wait until you need the services, then pay for the services after they are delivered. For example a non subscriber might pay for a single medical response in the neighborhood of $600 and a fire truck could be in the $1000 an hour range. If you are a subscriber these services would be covered by your subscription fee. Contact Rural Metro for current prices for either the subscription service or the pay as you go cost of services.
By subscribing to Rural/Metro, you are in effect guaranteeing that you will receive fire, emergency medical response, dangerous reptile removal, and other services (except ambulance transport) at no additional cost. Ambulance transport is charged but may be covered by your medical insurance plan. If you choose not to subscribe, you may wish to check with your homeowner insurance agent to see if this affects your homeowner insurance premium.
Besides fire services, Rural/Metro also offers dangerous reptile removal, home safety reviews, swift water rescue (car caught in flooded wash), and other services. Almost 90% of SMVE homeowners have chosen to subscribe to Rural/Metro services; non-subscribers will be billed for any services performed. You can see the list of services as well as set up service via the Rural Metro web site.
✉ by Guy Scharf, SMVE PresidentPhone: ; (cell)