Yavapai County, Arizona (pop. 236,209) is protected by a combination system: career agencies such as the Central Arizona Fire & Medical Authority (CAFMA), the Prescott Fire Department, Sedona Fire District, Verde Valley Fire District and Copper Canyon Fire & Medical serve the Prescott and Verde Valley areas, while small volunteer fire districts from Ash Fork and Seligman to Crown King and Congress cover the rest of the county's 8,123 square miles of land.
Central Arizona Fire & Medical Authority (non-emergency)
(928) 445-5357- Prescott Fire Department: (928) 777-1700
- Sedona Fire District: (928) 282-6800
- Cottonwood Dispatch (Copper Canyon area): (928) 649-1397
- Yavapai County Special Districts: (928) 771-3200
- CAFMA Administration, 8603 E Eastridge Dr, Prescott Valley, AZ 86314, USA
- cazfire.gov
- CAFMA office: Mon–Thu 7:00–17:00 (MST)
Who Provides Fire Protection in Yavapai County
- CAFMA — formed by the Central Yavapai and Chino Valley fire districts (operating since July 1, 2016); ten full-time and two reserve stations cover 369 square miles and about 100,000 residents, with its own ambulance service. Registry: 122 career firefighters.
- Prescott Fire Department — career, founded in 1885 and described as the oldest in Arizona; it also covers Prescott Municipal Airport. Registry: 5 stations, 60 career.
- Verde Valley — Sedona Fire District (73 career), Verde Valley Fire District (stations in Cottonwood, Cornville and Clarkdale; 39 career), Cottonwood Fire & Medical (27 career), Copper Canyon Fire & Medical in Camp Verde (48 full-time firefighters plus 3 battalion chiefs) and the Jerome Fire Department. Sedona straddles the Yavapai–Coconino line.
- Yavapai County Fire Consortium — Williamson Valley-Bagdad, Mayer, Crown King, Southern Yavapai, Congress and Yarnell share an office in Mayer and nine stations.
- Other volunteers — Ash Fork and Seligman in the north; Groom Creek, Walker, Spruce Mountain, Peeples Valley, Fire Team Four (Skull Valley) and Paulden.
- Maricopa-based — the former Black Canyon Fire District (merged into Daisy Mountain Fire District on May 22, 2017) and the Wickenburg Rural Fire District.
Figures are as reported to the USFA registry (voluntary, self-reported). Copper Canyon is dispatched by Cottonwood Dispatch. CAFMA notes that service is not automatically extended to properties outside fire district boundaries. 911 sends the right agency based on your address.
Fire Departments in Yavapai County
| Department | Type, stations | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Central Arizona Fire & Medical Authority (Prescott Valley) | Career, 14 | (928) 772-7711 |
| Prescott Fire Department | Career, 5 | (928) 777-1700 |
| Sedona Fire District | Career, 5 | (928) 282-6800 |
| Verde Valley Fire District (Cottonwood) | Career, 5 | (928) 634-2578 |
| Copper Canyon Fire & Medical District (Camp Verde) | Career | (928) 567-9401 |
| Cottonwood Fire & Medical Department | Mostly career, 1 | (928) 634-2741 |
| Williamson Valley Fire District | Mostly volunteer, 2 | (928) 717-2304 |
| Mayer Fire District | Mostly volunteer, 3 | (928) 632-9534 |
| Crown King Fire District | Mostly volunteer, 2 | (928) 632-7163 |
| Groom Creek Fire District | Mostly volunteer, 2 | (928) 778-6519 |
| Jerome Fire Department | Mostly volunteer, 2 | (928) 649-3034 |
| Yarnell Fire District | Mostly volunteer, 1 | (928) 427-6578 |
| Ash Fork Fire District | Volunteer, 1 | (928) 637-2533 |
| Congress Fire District | Volunteer, 1 | (928) 427-3336 |
| Fire Team Four VFA (Skull Valley) | Volunteer, 1 | (928) 442-3487 |
| Paulden VFD | Volunteer, 1 | (928) 636-0788 |
| Peeples Valley Fire District | Volunteer, 1 | (928) 427-9400 |
| Seligman Fire District | Volunteer, 1 | (928) 300-6437 |
| Southern Yavapai Fire Department (Kirkland) | Volunteer, 1 | (928) 442-9720 |
| Spruce Mountain Fire Department | Volunteer, 1 | (928) 717-2877 |
| Walker Fire Protection Association | Volunteer, 1 | (928) 777-2424 |
| Daisy Mountain Fire District (Black Canyon City area) | Maricopa-based | (623) 465-7400 |
| Wickenburg Rural Fire District | Maricopa-administered | (928) 684-2872 |
Station counts are from the USFA registry. Volunteer stations are not always staffed; for anything urgent, call 911.
Estimated Response Time
We divide each service area by its stations to get an average distance to the nearest one. Prescott: five career stations, about 41.5 square miles, roughly 1.6 miles. CAFMA: ten full-time stations, 369 square miles, roughly 3.4 miles. The rest of the county (about 7,710 square miles; the county averages 29 residents per square mile) has about 32 registry stations, roughly 8.8 miles each; a very rough figure, as the Verde Valley towns have career crews while large areas are far from any station.
| Radius | Career (Prescott, CAFMA, Verde Valley) | Rural (volunteer districts) |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 1.5 mi | 4–6 min | 8–12 min |
| 1.5–3 mi | 6–8 min | 10–14 min |
| 3–6 mi | 8–11 min | 12–18 min |
| > 6 mi | 11+ min | 18+ min |
Typical expectation: about 6–8 minutes in Prescott, 8–11 minutes across the CAFMA area, and 18 minutes or more for remote rural addresses.
Estimated Fire Control Time
| Fire size | Example | Indicative time |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Grass 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 |
In rural areas expect the upper end of each range. Wildland fire is a major risk: on June 30, 2013, 19 of Prescott's Granite Mountain Hotshots died on the Yarnell Hill Fire. County fire restrictions are set with the Prescott, Coconino and Tonto national forests and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM).
Apparatus & Equipment
Prescott Fire Department fleet:
- Engines
- 7
- Ladder trucks
- 2
- Hazmat unit
- 1
- Airport crash tender
- 1
- Type 6 wildland engines
- 4
From the 2011–12 annual report (via Wikipedia); may have changed. Other fleets are not published.
- Fire suppression
- EMS & ambulance
- Hazmat
- Wildland
- Airport rescue
Ratings & Accreditation
ISO ratings: not published in the sources we checked.
Outdoor burning: In the Williamson Valley-Bagdad, Mayer, Crown King and Southern Yavapai districts, get a free permit at yavco.burnpermits.com and check the burn status at (855) 441-1001 before lighting. Verde Valley FD and Copper Canyon use vv.burnpermits.com; elsewhere ask your fire department. The county portal showed a burn ban on October 12, 2026.
Neighboring Counties
- Coconino County, AZ (north and northeast)
- Gila County, AZ (southeast)
- Maricopa County, AZ (south)
- La Paz County, AZ (southwest)
- Mohave County, AZ (west)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for fire in Yavapai County?
CAFMA (928) 445-5357, Prescott Fire Department (928) 777-1700, Sedona Fire District (928) 282-6800, Cottonwood Dispatch (928) 649-1397. For any emergency, call 911.
Who provides fire protection in Prescott Valley and Chino Valley?
The Central Arizona Fire & Medical Authority (CAFMA), with ten full-time and two reserve stations covering 369 square miles.
Is every property in Yavapai County inside a fire district?
No. CAFMA notes that service is not automatically extended to properties outside fire district boundaries. Ask Yavapai County Special Districts at (928) 771-3200.
How fast does the fire department respond in Yavapai County?
About 6–8 minutes in Prescott, 8–11 minutes in the CAFMA area, and often 18+ minutes in remote rural areas.
Do I need a burn permit in Yavapai County?
Yes. Consortium districts use yavco.burnpermits.com (burn status (855) 441-1001); Verde Valley FD and Copper Canyon use vv.burnpermits.com. Elsewhere, ask your fire department.
Last verified:
- U.S. Fire Administration — National Fire Department Registry (Arizona download, retrieved October 12, 2026) (departments, stations, staff)
- Yavapai County — Fire Districts (districts, phones)
- CAFMA — About CAFMA (stations, area)
- CAFMA — Home (phones, hours)
- Copper Canyon Fire & Medical District (staffing, dispatch)
- Verde Valley Fire District (stations, burn permits)
- Sedona Fire District — About (address, phone)
- City of Cottonwood — Fire & Medical (address, phone)
- Yavapai County Fire Consortium (member districts)
- Yavapai County Burn Permits (permits, burn status)
- Yavapai County Sheriff's Office — Fire restrictions lifted (July 2026)
- Wikipedia — Prescott Fire Department (history, fleet, area)
- Wikipedia — Yavapai County, Arizona (2020 Census, area, neighbors)