Flash to the past: The growth of Maricopa Fire Department

At the start of 2005, the city had 11 volunteer firefighters and just three paid positions.

By August of 2006, the Maricopa Fire Department had grown into a force of 36 professional firefighters working at three fire stations.

The original station was next to the Sheriff’s Office and the old City Hall, at the northeastern corner of North Maricopa Road and West Garvey Avenue, on the land where the John Wayne Parkway overpass sits now.

In addition to the original station, there was a temporary station in Tortosa. The new station at Alterra was set to “open soon.”

In 2006, the Fire Department handled 101 calls, including 78 for emergency services. The department responded to a whopping 6,159 calls in 2021 from its four stations.

This content was first published in the August edition of InMaricopa magazine.