PHOTOS: The latest state-of-the-art helibase recently opened in northern Arizona to help with wildfire mitigation efforts, officials announced Tuesday.
The $4.9 million facility is located near Star Valley, 7 miles east of Payson.
It will aid in supporting the Payson Ranger District’s crisis strategy for reducing wildfire risk and serve as a logistical hub, according to the U.S. Forest Service. “The helibase has a three-fold mission: fire suppression, supporting fuel reduction projects and supporting land management activities,” Daniel Whatley, the Payson Ranger District fire management officer, said in a press release.
“During a wildfire, helicopters deliver water, equipment and crews to suppress or reduce the spread of a wildfire.” The facility will be able to handle up to three helicopters at a time, helping the Tonto National Forest better fight fires.
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A seemingly common item caused a large apartment fire in Mesa on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the Mesa Fire & Medical Department, an electric scooter caught on fire inside a living room at an apartment near Country Club Drive and Brown Road around 1 p.m. The flames quickly spread inside the unit.
The fire was then upgraded to a first-alarm, with more firefighters and resources requested to battle the blaze. Crews were forced to cut a vent hole into the roof to put out the fire.
Crews contained the flames to the unit, which sustained heavy damage. “There was a big fireload. Electric scooters burn very, very fast and hot. We did have some of those issues to deal with,” said Capt. Chris Tiller with Mesa Fire & Medical Department. “The holes that we cut in the roof are ventilation. It’s to get the smoke and the heat up and out of the unit we’re in.”
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Marvin Snodgrass has worked for Northwest Fire District for seven out of his ten years in the firefighting industry. He’s a firefighter engineer and runs the academy as a trainer. He also conducts engineer testing and the engineer academies.
“It gives you that opportunity to give back to the community,” he said.
In 2021, NWFD said they made offers to 15 people and in 2022 they didn’t have an academy. They said in 2023 they made offers to 27 people and this year are hoping to get 15 new people.
“When you have that big field to choose from, you can get some really good applicants,” Snodgrass said. However, he has seen a difference in the amount of applicants to the academy. In 2016, he said the district capped their applicants at one thousand people and actually hit that cap.
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