About Avondale, Arizona | Avondale Professional Firefighters Association Local 3924

Incorporated in 1946, Avondale is located within Maricopa County, approximately 15 miles west of downtown Phoenix. Avondale is currently one of the fastest growing cities within Maricopa County with a current population of approximately 60,000 and a projected population of more than 140,000 by 2020. The city occupies approximately 54 square miles of beautiful low desert terrain which includes the confluence of three rivers (the Agua Fria, Gila, and Salt Rivers) and the Estrella Mountains.

Avondale was born from an agricultural past. Avondale's founding father, Billy Moore, settled near the Agua Fria River in the late 1860's. He established a stage stop along the "Butterfield Stage Run", a saloon, and a general store and called the settlement "Coldwater". A post office was erected at the nearby Avondale Ranch and by the early 1900's, the area was referred to as Avondale.

Today Avondale is experiencing incredible commercial and residential growth. It is home to Phoenix International Raceway, host of several major races a year including the NASCAR circuit. The Avondale Auto Mall is gaining dealers at a quick rate and promises to be one of the largest automalls in the nation. The City of Avondale's Economic Development Department is always busy with new projects.

Avondale is also the home of Estrella Mountain Community College and the Universal Technical Institute.

Avondale Fire-Rescue was established as a volunteer department by an Ordinance of the Town Council on July 22, 1947 and as the City of Avondale has grown so has Avondale Fire-Rescue. Over the past 50 years, the department has evolved into a highly professional career service.

Today, AFR operates three stations with a fourth built and scheduled to be operational by 2014. AFR operates under an automatic aid agreement with Phoenix and other surrounding cities. Emergency units are dispatched with a CAD system utilizing satellites to locate apparatus in real time. The system is Valley-wide and includes many other fire departments and districts. Apparatus are dispatched based on location to incident, regardless of the municipality.

Our department is comprised of over 50 sworn firefighting personnel. AFR operates 2 engines companies, one ladder company, one utility truck, and one command vehicle, along with a compliment of other apparatus.

Emergency medical incidents comprise of 80% of the call volume. Fires and other customer service related calls comprise of the remaining 20% and range from vehicle lockouts to snake removals to Africanized Bee calls.

AFR offers Advanced Life Support (ALS) services on every engine company. Each engine carries a minimum of two paramedics at all times. Currently, almost two-thirds of the sworn fire department members are certified paramedics. Medical transportation services are subcontracted through Southwest Ambulance. AFR also tries to maintain at least one Spanish speaker on every company.

Besides fire suppression and emergency medical services, AFR operates a Technical Rescue Team (for high angle, confined space, tree, structural collapse, and swift water rescue) and a Utility truck (for incident support) as well as public education and community enhancement programs.

The Department Mission Statement is:

Customer Service
Rapid Intervention
Be Safe
Be Nice

"Providing Quality Service to Our Growing Community"