Fire Department · Career
Rural Metro Fire Department - Tucson
Tucson, AZ · Pima County
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Department careers page ↗Rural Metro Fire's Pima County division traces back to a private fire-protection company founded in 1948 by Arizona journalist Lou Witzeman after watching a neighbor's uninsured, out-of-city-limits home burn with no fire response. Rural Metro expanded into Pima County in 1962, replacing the local Catalina Fire Department and bringing organized protection to unincorporated communities such as the Catalina Foothills, Tanque Verde, and Sabino Canyon that fell outside Tucson city limits and the reach of Tucson Fire Department.
Today the department operates from six fire stations serving unincorporated Pima County and four fire districts (Hidden Valley, Sabino Vista, Tucson Country Club, and Tanque Verde Valley), including a newest station added in 2026 under a long-term contract with the City of South Tucson. Rather than being tax-funded, Rural Metro Fire is supported by annual household memberships, responding to roughly 63,000 calls a year, more than 70% of which are medical emergencies.
Services include structural and wildland fire suppression, Advanced Life Support and emergency medical response, hazardous materials response, technical rescue, and vehicle-crash extrication, backed by mutual-aid agreements with neighboring agencies including Tucson Fire Department, Golder Ranch Fire District, and Northwest Fire Rescue District. In 2024 Rural Metro Fire was acquired by Brindlee Fire Services, parent of Brindlee Mountain Fire Apparatus.
MissionRescue | Prevent | Serve
All Rural Metro Fire firefighters are certified, state-licensed Paramedics or EMTs; the department engages a company-wide ADP careers portal for open positions rather than a Pima-County-specific job board.
How do I become a member?
Visit the Rural Metro Fire member website at www.ruralmetrofire.com and follow the instructions to activate your account online, or call Rural Metro Fire at 800-624-5835.
Why don't my taxes cover Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services?
Rural Metro Fire is a non-governmental fire department serving unincorporated communities, which do not collect the public-safety property taxes that fund municipal fire departments. Rural Metro relies on annual memberships instead, providing training, vehicles, and equipment for the communities it serves.
What is the difference between Emergency Medical Response (EMS) and Ambulance Response?
When you call 911 for a medical emergency, dispatch sends both a fire engine and an ambulance so you receive care quickly from a certified medic. A member household is not charged for the fire engine's medical response; separate ambulance transport is billed to medical insurance, though an optional ambulance membership can cover out-of-pocket costs.
Why does a fire engine respond when I call for an ambulance?
All Rural Metro Fire firefighters are certified Paramedics or EMTs, and dispatch sends the closest, most appropriate medic -- sometimes a fire engine if ambulances are busy on other calls -- with fire crews assisting the ambulance crew to increase the level of patient care.
Do I have to pay for my annual membership in one payment?
No -- members can choose annual, quarterly, or monthly payment plans, with an autopay option available.