‘Dutchman Youth Rodeo’ medical agreement approved by fire district board

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

A new agreement between the Superstition Fire and Medical District and Superstition Mountain Promotional Corp. has been approved to provide medical services for a youth rodeo planned for the Saturday before Lost Dutchman Days.

The SFMD Board of Directors voted 4-0 on Nov. 19 on a consent agenda with other items to approve the 2026 Dutchman Youth Rodeo medical staffing agreement for the Apache Junction Rodeo Grounds, 1590 E. Lost Dutchman Blvd. Board Director Shawn Kurian was absent.

The cost of $1,500 includes two SFMD employees working 7.5 hours and the use of a utility task vehicle for six hours, it states in a letter from SFMD Assistant Chief Richard Mooney to Superstition Mountain Promotional Corp. that was in the board’s meeting packet.

The employee hours include travel, set-up and preparation time, rodeo hours, and returning equipment and personnel, it states.

“The agreement provides for cost recovery for personnel while generating some revenue for the UTV,” Mooney wrote in a memo to the board.

“This medical staffing agreement represents the cost associated with providing emergency medical services to staff a medical aid station ... on Feb. 21, 2026,” it states in the agreement. “This agreement provides for one EMT basic provider and one paramedic advanced provider to serve as medical aid services.”

The agreement states SFMD is to provide:

• All necessary advanced life support equipment required for paramedic-level care.

• All necessary disposable medical supplies.

• Communications equipment for contacting the Mesa Regional Dispatch Center to request additional resources for treating or transporting patients at the event.

• For the disposal of medical waste or other biohazard materials generated by the treatment of patients at the event.

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.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines, https://www.yourvalley.net/civility-checklist/.

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.