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Three Coconino County firefighting agencies received grants from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) this week.

The Ponderosa and Tusayan Fire Districts each received funding to purchase a new Type 6 wildland fire engine, and the City of Williams Fire Department received funds for radio equipment upgrades.

“DFFM has been great for providing resources to districts and departments,� Ponderosa Fire District Chief Lee Antonides said. “We were very fortunate that we were selected.�

The engine purchases were made possible by the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs previously allocated a portion of Arizona’s ARPA funding to DFFM, which awarded $4.9 million to 15 local fire agencies in this latest round of grants.

The Ponderosa Fire District, which serves Bellemont, Parks and other neighboring communities, currently has one Type 6 wildland firefighting engine. Built on a pickup truck chassis, and sometimes called "brush trucks," Type 6 engines typically carry up to 300 gallons of water.

“We oftentimes send vehicles out, apparatus out for out-of-district responses,� Antonides said. “This allows us to duplicate resources and provide better coverage.�

The new truck has been ordered, and the district is expecting delivery within three to five months, according to Antonides. The cost of the specialized vehicle is approximately $120,000.

Greg Brush, chief of the Tusayan Fire District, said, “We have, currently, a 2002 wildland engine. This is definitely going to be an upgrade.�

“Having a vehicle that’s 23 years old,� he added, “we do a lot of repairs.�

Their existing engine had been out of commission for at least four months out of the past two years, he estimated.

The district might keep the old truck around as a backup, but hasn’t reached a formal conclusion just yet.

“We’re out of space in our current facility to house both year-round,� Brush noted.

When the new engine arrives, likely in around two months, the district board will make a decision.

Brush credited the district’s chief of administration, Kate Johnson, for her work navigating the grant application process.

“It is really hard to get a new fire engine,� he said.

Other Coconino County districts have received ARPA-funded grants from DFFM in previous years, including the Blue Ridge and Mormon Lake fire districts. Blue Ridge used that funding to acquire a new tactical water tender, and Mormon Lake purchased a new Type 3 wildland fire engine. (Type 3 engines are larger and carry more water than a Type 6.) 

In addition to the ARPA funding for new vehicle purchases, DFFM awarded a total of $80,000 in Rural Fire Capacity grants -- available to fire districts serving rural communities of 10,000 residents or fewer -- to 13 agencies.

These grants are intended to support equipment purchases and training for smaller districts staffed primarily by volunteers.

The Williams Fire Department received a grant of $17,600 to replace the radios in its vehicles. Without that grant, replacement would likely have taken several years, Chief Chase Pearson said.

“We’ve been successful over the last several years with this RFC grant,� Pearson noted. Last year, the department was able to use RFC grant funding to replace its handheld radios. This year’s grant will bring all the vehicle-mounted radios up to date, too, replacing analog-only models with ones capable of broadcasting either an analog or a digital signal.

The updates will ensure that the department is able to communicate and coordinate effectively with “every single agency,� Pearson said, “whether it’s a local, state or federal partner.�

Because the city is surrounded by the Kaibab National Forest -- and because the fire department is staffed almost entirely by volunteers -- clear communication to ensure an appropriate and efficient deployment is important.

“This is just one small piece of the coordination with all of our neighbors,� Pearson said. “We’re working really hard to do our part.�

Despite the handful of storms that have delivered precipitation to northern Arizona in the last two months, the potential for significant wildfire activity in 2025 remains high.

“Regionally, all the departments and districts are concerned with the forecast for the season,� Antonides said. His district already responded to two small wildfires in January of this year.

“I think that’s kind of a precursor to what we’re going to see this season,� Antonides added. “I think we’re going to have a pretty active season.�