Sun City fire officials blast fire flow foes

Irvin Mitchell, chairman of the Sun City Fire Board, criticized three local organizations for their actions relating to the Arizona American Water fire flow case, under consideration by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Mitchell said he was not pleased with the Recreation Centers of Sun City, the Sun City Home Owners Association or the Sun City Taxpayers Association, citing what he saw as unfair criticism directed at the fire department.

"I think it is wrong that these organizations are taking pot shots at us," Mitchell said at Tuesday's fire board meeting. "One group, their job is to provide recreation for us, one is to help save on taxes, another group is a home owner's association. Our main purpose is to save lives first, save property second, and without the water we can't do either one of those."

Board member Jack Leonard said he, too, was disappointed with the other Sun City organizations.

"They are looking at this from a purely 'dollars and cents' perspective," Leonard said. "Our job is to consider safety. This is not only something that is going to help potentially save the lives of building occupants, but perhaps save the lives of firefighters, too. If they are in the middle of a large building and they run out of water, there is nothing they can do. We need to do what is best for the safety of occupants and firefighters alike."

The fire flow case seen by the ACC has been a heated issue in the Sun City area for months.

The plan calls for an improvement project that would add 195 new hydrants and 44,000 linear feet of 6- to 10-inch pipes to upgrade the system, covering an area that includes Youngtown, part of Sun City and a small portion of Peoria. If approved, customers would see an increase on their water bills over a four-year period beginning in 2010 and running through 2013. In 2010, the increase would be 3.5 cents; in 2011, it would be 7.4 cents; in 2012, 11.4 cents; and in 2013, the increase would be 17.4 cents.

The criticism of the fire flow project revolves primarily around the necessity of the project as well as what it will cost homeowners.

Fire Chief Jim Sebert said he could not speak to the cost of the project, but he was adamant about the necessity of it.

"We hear from many people who say we do not have any fires in Sun City, but that is not true," Sebert said. "There have been over 300 fires in Sun City over the past 30 years which sustained more than 50 percent damage. Many of them were 100 percent destroyed."

Sebert added the southern part of Sun City, which will benefit from the fire flow improvements, is the area of the city most affected by fires.

"The majority of those fires are in the southern parts of Sun City," Sebert said. "We've had about eight or nine very serious commercial fires in Sun City and seven of those were south of Grand Avenue."

Sebert said he was disappointed in the RCSC, SCHOA and SCTA for not coming to the fire department to talk about the issue.

"We have been barred in the past from speaking at RCSC meetings because we are not residents," Sebert said. "In the past, SCHOA and the taxpayers association have welcomed us to come to their meetings and speak. On this issue, they have not."

Warren Hoffman, treasurer for the RCSC board of directors, was in attendance at the meeting, and he urged the fire department to send someone to the RCSC's next meeting April 24.

"As long as you send someone who is a resident of Sun City, then they can not stop you from speaking," Hoffmann said. "I think it might be very helpful if you speak to them and give them some of the information you have given today."

Youngtown Mayor Mike LeVault was in attendance, as well. LeVault has been an enthusiastic supporter of the fire flow project, and he said he expects a decision from the ACC soon.

"We should hear something in the next 30 to 60 days," LeVault said. "I'm pretty confident that they are going to give the go ahead, but if they don't, we're done. I imagine this project would be resurrected at some point maybe a few years down the line, but for now it would be over, and I don't think we can afford that."