Pima County, Arizona (pop. 1,043,433) is protected mostly by career departments. The Tucson Fire Department, rated ISO Class 1, runs 22 stations in the county seat. Fire districts such as Northwest, Golder Ranch, Drexel Heights and Santa Rita cover the suburbs, Rural Metro serves unincorporated areas by subscription, and tribal and volunteer departments cover the desert west and south across 9,187 square miles of land.
Tucson Fire Department (main line)
(520) 791-4512- Rural Metro Fire (Pima County): (520) 297-3600
- Pima County DEQ (burn permits): (520) 724-7400
- Tucson Fire, 300 South Fire Central Place, Tucson, AZ 85701, USA
- tucsonaz.gov — Fire Department
- Office hours: not published (City of Tucson info: 311)
Who Provides Fire Protection in Pima County
- Tucson Fire Department — career, 22 stations and 632 career firefighters, ISO Class 1 since 2017, about 100,000 incidents a year; its special operations crews handle hiker, trench and swift-water rescues.
- Fire districts — Northwest (Marana area, 11 stations over 151 sq mi), Golder Ranch (Oro Valley, Catalina, SaddleBrooke; CFAI and CAAS accredited), Drexel Heights, Santa Rita (Green Valley and Sahuarita), Avra Valley, Rincon Valley, Mountain Vista and six smaller districts.
- Rural Metro Fire — private, subscription-based fire and EMS for unincorporated Pima County; about 18,000 responses in 2025, over 70% medical.
- Tribal departments — Tohono O'odham Nation (Sells) and Pascua Pueblo (Pascua Yaqui Tribe).
- Volunteer departments — Arivaca, Elephant Head, Helmet Peak and Ajo-Gibson; plus the City of South Tucson's station.
Department figures are as reported to the USFA registry (self-reported, may be out of date). Call 911 for any emergency; calls are routed by address.
Fire Departments in Pima County
| Department | Type, stations | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Tucson Fire Department | Career, 22 | (520) 791-4512 |
| Northwest Fire District | Career, 12 | (520) 887-1010 |
| Rural Metro Fire – Tucson | Private, 9 | (520) 297-3600 |
| Golder Ranch Fire District | Career, 8 | (520) 825-9001 |
| Drexel Heights Fire District | Career, 5 | (520) 571-8700 |
| Santa Rita Fire District | Career, 5 | (520) 625-9400 |
| Avra Valley Fire District | Career, 4 | (520) 682-3255 |
| Tohono O'odham Nation FD | Tribal career, 4 | (520) 383-8276 |
| Three Points Fire District | Mostly career, 3 | (520) 822-1086 |
| Rincon Valley Fire District | Career, 2 | (520) 647-3760 |
| Mountain Vista Fire District | Career, 2 | (520) 575-4087 |
| Corona de Tucson FD | Career, 2 | (520) 762-5007 |
| Elephant Head VFD, Amado | Volunteer, 2 | Not published |
| Picture Rocks Fire District | Career, 1 | (520) 682-4960 |
| Pascua Pueblo FD | Tribal, mostly career, 1 | (520) 879-5721 |
| Tucson Country Club Estates FD | Mostly volunteer, 1 | (520) 322-0962 |
| Mount Lemmon Fire District | Mostly volunteer, 1 | (520) 576-1201 |
| Arivaca VFD | Volunteer, 1 | (520) 398-2003 |
| Helmet Peak VFD, Sahuarita | Volunteer, 1 | Not published |
| Why Fire District | Volunteer, 1 | (520) 387-7766 |
| South Tucson FD | Municipal | Not published |
| Ajo-Gibson VFD, Ajo | Volunteer | Not published |
Northwest Fire District's own site lists 11 stations; Santa Rita (formerly Green Valley Fire District) covers 55 square miles from 5 stations. South Tucson and Ajo-Gibson are not in the registry. Tucson Fire Stations 1 and 10 back up South Tucson on structure fires, and local news reports that Rural Metro now staffs the South Tucson station around the clock.
Other fire services (registry, not counted above): 162nd Wing Fire Emergency Services, Morris Air National Guard Base (DoD, 1 station); Silverbell Army Heliport FD, Marana (DoD, 2); Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Ajo (NPS, 1); Tucson Airport Authority FD (airport ARFF, 1); Raytheon Fire Department (industrial, 1).
Volunteer stations are not always staffed. For anything urgent, call 911 rather than a station number.
Estimated Response Time
The average station radius is r ≈ √(area ÷ (stations × π)). Tucson (22 stations, 241 sq mi, about 2,250 residents per sq mi) and Santa Rita (5 stations, 55 sq mi) both average about 1.9 miles; Northwest (11 stations, 151 sq mi) about 2.1 miles. The rest of the county, about 8,740 sq mi of mostly desert and tribal land with about 48 stations, averages roughly 7.6 miles, a very rough figure because much of it has no organized coverage.
| Radius | Tucson (career) | Suburban districts | Rural desert |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≤ 1.5 mi | 4–6 min | 5–8 min | 8–12 min |
| 1.5–3 mi | 6–8 min | 7–10 min | 10–14 min |
| 3–6 mi | 8–11 min | 9–13 min | 12–18 min |
| > 6 mi | 11+ min | 13+ min | 18+ min |
Typical expectation: about 6–8 minutes in Tucson, 7–10 minutes in the suburban fire districts and 18 minutes or more in remote desert communities.
Estimated Fire Control Time
| Fire size | Example | Indicative time |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Brush patch, dumpster, small vehicle | 5–20 min |
| Medium | Room-and-contents, car fully involved | 15–45 min |
| Large | Whole house, commercial unit | 45–120 min |
| Major | Multi-alarm, industrial, large wildland fire | 2–12+ hours |
Tucson Fire runs a Technical Rescue Team; Pascua Pueblo also offers technical rescue. Outside the metro area, hydrants are scarce and water comes by tender; wildland fires on state and private land involve the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
Apparatus & Equipment
Pascua Pueblo Fire Station 1 (tribal website):
- Pumper (engine)
- 1
- Aerial ladder truck (100 ft)
- 1
- Ambulance
- 1
Fleets of Tucson Fire, the fire districts and Rural Metro are not published.
- Fire suppression
- EMS
- Technical rescue
- Swift-water rescue
- Wildland
- Airport ARFF
Ratings & Accreditation
Tucson Fire Department: ISO PPC Class 1 (since 2017). Golder Ranch Fire District: CFAI and CAAS accredited. Other ratings: not published.
Outdoor burning: Pima County DEQ requires a permit for residential ($30), construction or agricultural ($100) open burning, (520) 724-7400; campfires and barbecues are exempt. In Tucson and the Arivaca, Avra Valley, Golder Ranch, Mt. Lemmon, Picture Rocks, Rincon Valley and Three Points districts, get the permit from the fire agency instead. Wildland fire: Arizona DFFM.
Neighboring Counties
- Pinal County, AZ (north)
- Maricopa County, AZ (north)
- Graham County, AZ (northeast)
- Cochise County, AZ (east)
- Santa Cruz County, AZ (southeast)
- Yuma County, AZ (west)
- Sonora, Mexico (south)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for fire in Pima County?
Tucson Fire Department: (520) 791-4512. Rural Metro Fire (unincorporated areas): (520) 297-3600. In an emergency, call 911.
Who fights fires outside Tucson?
Fire districts such as Northwest, Golder Ranch, Drexel Heights and Santa Rita, Rural Metro by subscription, the Tohono O'odham Nation and Pascua Pueblo departments, and volunteer departments. 911 sends the right one.
What ISO rating does Tucson Fire have?
The Tucson Fire Department has held ISO Class 1 since 2017.
How fast does the fire department respond in Pima County?
About 6–8 minutes in Tucson, 7–10 minutes in the suburban fire districts and 18 minutes or more in remote desert communities.
Do I need a burn permit in Pima County?
Yes, for most open burning: from Pima County DEQ, (520) 724-7400, or from your fire agency in Tucson and the delegated fire districts. Campfires and barbecues are exempt.
Last verified:
- U.S. Fire Administration — National Fire Department Registry (Arizona download, retrieved October 12, 2026)
- City of Tucson — Fire Department (contact, ISO Class 1, TRT)
- City of Tucson — Tucson Fire Overview (incidents, ISO since 2017, rescues)
- Northwest Fire District — About
- Golder Ranch Fire District
- Santa Rita Fire District — Who We Are
- Pascua Yaqui Tribe — Fire Department
- Rural Metro Fire — Pima County
- Pima County DEQ — Open Burning
- City of South Tucson — Fire Department
- KGUN 9 — Rural Metro at South Tucson station
- RadioReference — Pima County agencies (Ajo-Gibson VFD)
- Wikipedia — Pima County, Arizona (2020 Census population, land area, neighbors)
- Wikipedia — Tucson (2020 population, land area)