Court Ruling Raises Fire Risks By Holly Wagner
in Rio Verde Foothills
Residents of Rio Verde Foothills community know living in the area the public services for fire, police, and other emergency services are limited. In this fastgrowing area the lack of long term planning has created problems which not only affect the quality of life for residents but their safety as well.
Without any reasonable planning for the growth in the area, a lack of commercially zoned properties forced many service providers and horse ranches to operate out of residentially zoned properties. Over time it has become commonplace to see non-conforming use of properties in the RVF community and today there are likely a hundred or more of technically nonconforming uses. Now, as the area becomes pressured by uncontrolled Dynamite Water providing back-up water growth more property owners are supply for Rural Metro in Rio Verde pushing back against these non-conforming uses. Experience has proven that the Fire Stations In the case of the folks in the water hauling do not have fire trucks with adequate water business, their trucks have been parked at their properties that are zoned capacity, or tanker-trucks to provide reasonable services to the RVF residential. Although they are performing as a public utility providing area. Currently the single fire truck in the community carries only 1,000 water, they are not exempt from meeting the zoning standard if pressured, gallons of water. To improve their performance capabilities, without which is exactly what has happened now. Rural Metro investing the capital to solve the problem, the company has When water hauling companies discovered they needed Special-Useentered into an agreement with local provider, Dynamite Water LLC a residential water delivery services to the Rio Verde area. Dynamite Water Permits to park on their private properties, action was taken to meet that are contracted to provide back-up water resources for Rural Metro & other need. Currently three water hauling companies in the RVF community have signed Code Compliance Agreements with Maricopa County to Fire Stations. obtain Special-Use-Permits for parking. To date Dynamite Water LLC For fire, rural property owners are not only at risk, so are the residents has been the first company to fully apply for the SUP. The application of the Trilogy developments and other higher-density settings. Without process for Special-Use-Permits is time consuming, and during the process back-up water arriving quickly, the capabilities of Fire Stations to fight Maricopa County staff has recommended continuing to provide the service fires for a simple structure to any major fire is very limited. House and while the permit process proceeds. structure fires are a serious risk to igniting the surrounding desert and Meanwhile, a local resident who feels the parking of trucks are a Tonto National Forest. Most residences in rural Rio Verde have desert landscaping right-up to the front door. Countless fires happening regularly nuisance sought injunctive relief in the Courts asking for a remedy to cease and desist water hauling operations. On December 3rd, 2019 are putting the whole community at risk of setting the desert ablaze. Arizona Superior Court Judge Daniel Kiley handed down the preliminary A recent fire located just west of Rio Verde in another Maricopa injunction ruling against the use of parking water trucks until the SUP’s County island went from a small event to almost catching an entire are obtained through Maricopa County to neighborhood of estates with desert allow parking of the water trucks at private landscaping ablaze as Phoenix Fire ran out residences. This Court action effectively of water. Fire-fighters had to make a stand Fill Out this Form take a picture of it and TEXT it to eliminates an adequate water supply, stationed in a wash to halt the wall of fire, as screams this Number 602-616-8363 and it will be shared nearby, to meet the needs of Firemen and the and panic filled the air. Drifting embers For an area of residents who and smoke clouded the mind as neighbors with the folks that mater in zoning and politically. community. understand the risks the anxiety level has risen. evacuated, or stood watching it all unravel. Many residents are now in fear for their homes, A two-mile long hose the firefighters ranches, and livestock. stretched to a hydrant saved the day, as did “This is a known hauled water community,” their individual efforts and working together states Rio Verde real estate agent Denise as a very large team of more than fifty. Dunning-Ricketts. “Leaving an entire In the RVF community neither the large community at risk in such a fashion, with team of firefighters nor the two-miles of extremely limited emergency water resources, hose to reach a hydrant exist. Instead Fire puts the entire Rio Verde Foothills community Stations rely on this local water hauling in jeopardy and potentially facing great company to come to their rescue. It sounds liability. How could this happen, and what can far-fetched however water trucks racing to the community do now to protect itself? This the rescue have already saved-the-day more is frightening for all the residents!” than once, in fact many times when time of The solution is to expedite the Special-Useresponse is critical.
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FEBRUARY 2020
