SEFD covers 325 square miles for fire and EMS response and 750 square miles for EMS ambulance transport. (See map below.) That’s a lot of territory! While not marked on the map, the boundaries for EMS transport run on the Cochise County line to the Mexican border, and on the West through mile marker 14 to the Mexican border and mile marker 47 on Highway 83.
Year to date, we have handled 357 calls including fire, EMS and service, which can include a variety of calls from installing a smoke detector to removing a snake.
Our service area is divided into five areas. Most of our calls, 47.62%, have been in Zone 1, which is around the crossroads. Zone 2 has seen 8.96%, and is the section to the north, including areas in Pima County. Zone 3 had 14.85%,and lies to the east including Rain Valley to the Cochise county border. Zone 4, the area to the south had 1.12%. Zone 5 saw 27.45%; it includes all outlying areas. EMS calls have totaled 200, fire 74, and service 83. About 30% of our calls are overlapping or concurrent.
We run three shifts, A, B, and C; and two 12 hour shifts 8 to 8. Personnel work 48 hours on and 96 off, meaning a new shift every 6 days. Most calls, 75.63%, occur between 7 AM and 5 PM, with 24.37% overnight.
Not all EMS calls result in a transport; some can be handled by our paramedics without the need for additional treatment. Of 152 total transports so far this year, (76% of the EMS calls) 123 have been ground and 29 air transport. The map shows locations for each of the landing zones for helicopter transport. Our personnel treat and safely transport individuals from the location of the call to those landing zones. The top destinations for transports are St. Joseph’s Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital and Tucson Medical Center. A typical EMS call is about three hours start to finish.
Our busiest day was Friday, July 5, 2024, with eight incidents, mostly ambulance calls, many in the Patagonia area. That western boundary for ambulance transport runs basically to the entrance to Patagonia Lake State Park, so we often travel some distance to reach the incident location.
In a future column we hope to discuss current accident trends and the cost of those to the people involved and our first responders. As part of our 2024 to 2026 Strategic Plan, we committed to better communication with the communities we serve. These articles are a part of fulfilling that commitment.