Why Serving San Tan Valley Is Personal To Me

San Tan Valley is stepping into a new chapter, and so are we.

With the approval of our fire protection services agreement, Rural Metro Fire is proud and honored to continue protecting the newly incorporated town of San Tan Valley. This contract is meaningful to us — not just because it affirms the trust placed in our organization, but because it reflects something deeper: a shared commitment to community, stability and showing up when it matters most for our neighbors.

For our firefighters and support teams, San Tan Valley isn’t just a service area on a map; it’s where we work, where many of our families live, and where we’ve built relationships over years of responding to emergencies, teaching safety classes and supporting local events. Our Deputy Chief Garrett Holderman was born and raised right here in San Tan Valley and has lived and trained here since he was young. Being selected to continue serving this community during such an important transition is something we take personally.

We’re excited to be part of San Tan Valley’s future — not as outsiders, but as partners. Our commitment includes maintaining three fire stations in the area, keeping our experienced personnel in place and investing directly in the community with new equipment, including a ladder truck, upgraded emergency vehicles and plans for a new fire station.

We are also excited to announce a change in ownership of Rural Metro Fire that will mark an important turning point for public safety in our community. The new ownership brings an opportunity to strengthen response times, improve coordination and recommit to a community-first model that prioritizes residents over bureaucracy.

As a resident of San Tan Valley, you may be asking yourself, what does this new agreement between San Tan Valley and Rural Metro look like? Not only will this agreement help us to strengthen our ties to the community, but it will also increase operational efficiency and cost the taxpayers nothing. Some key elements of the agreement include:

Continuous fire protection services: Rural Metro will maintain uninterrupted emergency response services throughout San Tan Valley.

No cost to taxpayers: The agreement does not require the town to expend public funds or assume financial liability for fire protection services.

Expanded local investment: Rural/Metro has committed to placing a new ladder truck into service by June 30, repainting emergency vehicles and constructing an additional fire station within San Tan Valley at Rural Metro Fire’s expense.

Operational transparency: Rural Metro Fire will provide reports to the town detailing response times, staffing levels and apparatus availability.

As San Tan Valley moves forward as a newly incorporated town, this agreement with Rural Metro offers a chance to build a stronger, safer future without disrupting the protection residents rely on today. In a community growing as quickly as ours, choosing to subscribe isn’t just a personal decision — it’s an investment in the safety and resilience of San Tan Valley as a whole.

We’re excited to be part of San Tan Valley — not just today, but for the long haul. Our promise is simple: We will continue to earn this community’s trust every single day, one call at a time.

Because at the end of the day, protecting our community isn’t just what we do. It’s who we are.