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Serving the communities of Cave Creek and Carefree
Cave Creek - Carefree Area Edition
TheFoothillsFocus.com
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This Week
Carefree council hears about automatic aid BY JAMES LOTTS Foothills Focus Contributor
J OPINION............. 8
Judy Bluhm talks about a “living legend”
BUSINESS.......... 12
Foothills PT opens new location in North Valley
FEATURES......... 20
Cave Creek artist to showcase ikebana
OPINION.......................8 BUSINESS.................. 12 FEATURES................. 15 YOUTH....................... 21 CLASSIFIEDS............. 22 Zone 2
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
im Ford, Cave Creek Community Risk Reduction director, spoke at the Feb. 7 Carefree Town Council meeting about the regional automatic aid system. The talk was ahead of a May 16 special election. Resolution 2022-18 calls for a special election in May to consider a primary property tax to enable the community to support the long-term financial commit-
ment to become part of automatic aid. If passed, the primary property tax will be implemented. The contract for automatic aid lasts for 25 years. Under the system of regional automatic aid, which includes more than 25 departments, response to a request for assistance is not optional if a town is a member of the Regional Automatic Aid system. The closest firefighters in the area are dispatched to assist with emergencies regardless of jurisdiction.
Fire presentation celebrates recruits
Under a system of mutual aid, one fire department calls neighboring fire departments to request assistance with local emergencies and the neighboring departments have the option of whether or not to send resources to assist if they are available. Rural Metro Fire Department, which Carefree has a contract with, uses this system. Ford said the town of Cave Creek began
see CAREFREE page 4
Benefit supports dementia care
BY COLE JANUSZEWSKI Foothills Focus Staff Writer
D
aisy Mountain Fire & Medical Chief Brian Tobin and Cave Creek Community Risk Reduction Director Jim Ford updated the Cave Creek Town Council on their respective departments during the governing body’s Feb. 6 meeting. Daisy Mountain met an important milestone on Dec. 7, when the town’s first fire recruits had their final evaluations. “This was their last hoop that they had to jump through before they became full-time permanent members of the fire department,” Tobin said. “All of us remember our final evaluations and all of us remember getting through it because it is a lot of stress, but I am
see CELEBRATES page 4
Guests at the Hospice of the Valley fundraiser can bid on a trip to Triple Creek Ranch. See details, see page 19. (Hospice of the Valley/Submitted)
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