Fire district to receive $1,785 for providing paramedic, EMT for arts festival

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

The Superstition Fire and Medical District will provide a state-certified paramedic and emergency medical technician to staff a medical aid station at the Native American Arts Festival at the Superstition Mountain Museum.

The SFMD board voted 4-0 Nov. 20 as part of a consent agenda with other items to approve a 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 18-19 medical staffing agreement costing $1,785 for the special event at 4087 N. Apache Trail in Apache Junction. Board member Jason Moeller was absent.

The cost includes $85 an hour for the certified paramedic, $75 an hour for the certified EMT and $50 an hour for a fire apparatus.

The district, which is primarily funded by property taxes, provides fire suppression, fire prevention, wildland protection, advanced life support, rescue, extrication and medical transportation services out of five fire stations in Apache Junction and Gold Canyon.

The contract provides cost recovery for personnel while generating revenue for the apparatus, Assistant Chief Richard Mooney wrote in a memo to the board.

“The Native American Arts Festival Medical staffing agreement is an annual contract between the Superstition Fire and Medical District and the Superstition Mountain Museum,” he said. “The Superstition Mountain Museum will provide an on-site medical room.”

According to an SFMD board document, in addition to providing the paramedic and an EMT, the district is to provide:

• All necessary advanced life support equipment required for paramedic level care;
• All necessary disposable medical supplies;
• All communications equipment for contacting the Mesa Regional Dispatch Center to request additional resources for treating or transporting patients at the event; and
•  For the disposal of medical waste or other biohazard materials generated by treating patients at the event.

Because of a firefighting conference, the next SFMD board meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 14. SFMD board meetings are generally held at 5:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month at the SFMD Administrative Office, 565 N. Idaho Road in Apache Junction. Agendas are at https://sfmd.az.gov/.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.