Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority (CAFMA) Awarded
Certificate of Necessity for Ground Ambulance Transport

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 10, 2024 – The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) has issued a Certificate of Necessity (CON) to the Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority (CAFMA) to provide emergency ground ambulance service to its 369 square mile jurisdiction. This includes the municipalities of Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, and unincorporated areas of Yavapai County, such as Paulden and Williamson Valley.

In Arizona, fire and medical agencies like CAFMA must establish community need and obtain a CON before providing emergency ambulance transport services. CAFMA has stated that expanding community options for services will improve the quality of pre-hospital medical care for residents and visitors alike.

“CAFMA extends our gratitude to our community for their ongoing support and encouragement throughout the nearly three-year CON process. We thank our incredible staff for their dedicated efforts, and also thank the Arizona Department of Health Services for approving CAFMA’s CON,” said Scott Freitag, CAFMA Fire Chief. “Our leadership team has decades of experience in Arizona EMS, and we are ready to provide the resources needed to supplement the 911 system while offering efficient and effective ambulance transport service to our service area.”

The City of Prescott, Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Center, and Priority Ambulance supported CAFMA’s application by providing letters of endorsement to ADHS.

“Approximately 68% of our calls in 2023 were medical. This decision benefits not only the 106,000 people that live in our community, but also commuters and tourists,” added Doug Niemynski, CAFMA EMS Chief. “To ensure the highest level of care is provided to our customers, every CAFMA firefighter is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and each engine company is staffed with at least one Paramedic. We are proud to now continue providing excellent care through ambulance transport.”

CAFMA staffs ten full-time stations and a 40-hour peak demand engine and will operate two ambulances—one from Station 58 in Prescott Valley, and one from Station 62 in Chino Valley. Each CAFMA ambulance will be staffed with one EMT and one paramedic.

CAFMA is recognized as a Premier EMS Agency by the Arizona Department of Health Services and is a member of the Arizona Ambulance Association and the Northern Arizona Emergency Medical Services Council.

With the addition of ambulance services, CAFMA is poised to significantly enhance emergency medical care in the region, ensuring that residents and visitors receive timely and professional assistance during emergencies. This development marks a significant step forward in the provision of comprehensive pre-hospital care within the community.