Why is SFD planning to build a fire station in the Chapel-area?
The Chapel-area is growing and is currently only about 50% built out. SFD’s current response times to the vicinity of the Chapel-area do not meet SFD goals or accepted national standards. This location is perfect for providing emergency back-up coverage to the Village of Oak Creek (VOC) and/or Uptown Sedona. The new roadway, while it may be an improvement to our current Highway 179, will delay emergency vehicles due to our large fire apparatus needing to slow to less than 10 MPH to maneuver through each of the proposed 11 roundabouts. Studies have shown that traffic calming devices, including roundabouts, can delay emergency vehicles and associated response by 7 to 32 seconds per roundabout. Currently, SFD services the Chapel-area from either our VOC or Uptown Fire Stations depending on the location of the emergency and availability of fire apparatus. This proposed fire station will provide for an additional resource to effectively and efficiently manage medical emergencies, accidents,
