Rural Metro Fire - Pima County

Together, Building a Safer Community, Through Prevention, Preparedness & Response

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FAQ

Learn More About Community Connect

Rural Metro Fire is partnering with First Due and the users of the Community Connect application, to voluntarily and securely share your information with the local Rural Metro Fire Department. Enrollment in the Community Connect App does not confer or imply membership with Rural Metro Fire. To subscribe, please visit RuralMetroFire.com or call 800.624.5835.

Who has access to the information that I provide?

How do I establish emergency medical and fire department service for my home?

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.

Your emergency services agency that hosts the Community Connect program will securely be able to access your Community Connect data. Data stored in Community Connect is only accessed during an emergency at your address or a large scale disaster.

Community Connect is secured by "bank-level encryption".
What does that mean?

What other services does Rural Metro Fire provide?

Community Connect is secured by "bank-level encryption". This means we are using 256-bit encryption that is only available to first Responders logged into the same application that they use to view calls being received from dispatch and inspection data of properties in your community.

Your Rural Metro Fire membership covers a lot more than fire prevention and suppression, including: response to medical emergencies, which account for more than 70% of our calls – Medical aid and rescue services at vehicle crashes – Annual Home Safety Assessment – Community health and safety programs.

What happens if I move?

Why don’t my taxes cover Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services?

Community Connect provides you with the ability to edit your address.  Community Connect will also automatically send you periodic emails to encourage you to update your profile or account for any changes, including a change in an address or household members.

Living in an unincorporated community has benefits, such as a lower cost of living and lower property taxes.  Part of the property tax collected in a municipality pays for public safety, such as the fire department and police department.  In unincorporated communities, there are no such taxes for public safety.  Rural Metro Fire is a non-governmental fire department that has been providing fire and EMS services since 1948 in unincorporated communities in Arizona, Tennessee, and Oregon.  Rural Metro Fire provides the professional emergency service you deserve and expect when you call for help.  Instead of funding from taxes, we rely on annual Rural Metro Fire memberships to provide professional training, vehicles, and equipment for services in your community.  We do not receive any money from Fire District Assistance Tax listed on your property tax statement.  That money goes to other fire districts outside of Rural Metro Fire’s service area.

I have a home and I'm a business owner. How can I make a Community Connect profile for both?

Why do I need to pay for an annual membership when I have homeowners’ insurance and medical insurance?

Each Community Connect profile is tied to both a specific address and a specific email address. Please use your personal email for your residential Community Connect profile and a work email to create your business Community Connect profile.

Homeowners’ insurance will cover your home and contents if there is a fire and medical insurance will cover your ambulance transport*, but neither automatically covers Fire Department response charge.  *If transported by ambulance, the ambulance provider bills medical insurance.

Can I make a Community Connect profile for a loved one who cannot do it themselves?

What is the difference between Emergency Medical Response (EMS) and Ambulance Response?

Community Connect is designed to be fully accessible and can be configured on any internet-connected device. In the event that you do need to create a Community Connect profile for someone who cannot do so themselves,  there are options that may be available:
  • Create a Community Connect account using their email and physical address for them.
  • Contact your Community Connect administrator with the local fire department to create an account for your loved one.

When you call 911 for a medical emergency, the 911 dispatch center will dispatch both a fire engine and an ambulance so that you can quickly receive care from a certified/licensed medic.  If a Rural Metro Fire engine responds and you are a member, there will be no charge for the care that the Rural Metro Fire engine medics provide.  If you are not a member, there will be a charge for services.  Separately, if you are transported by ambulance, the Rural Metro Fire ambulance (or other ambulance provider) will bill your medical insurance.  We offer an ambulance membership to cover out-of-pocket costs for ambulance transport.  Contact 800-624-5835, if you have questions.

How can I help spread the word and get more people in my Community Signed up?

How is the annual rate calculated for my property?

Reach out to your local Public Safety agency and discuss how you can help spread the word and how you can get involved in helping to protect your loved ones and neighbors through the program.

In most cases, Rural Metro Fire uses the County Assessor record for your property to determine the total square footage of the enclosed structures on your property. This includes garages, guest houses, sheds, and any other enclosed structures.  In some areas, the annual rate is determined by your property tax assessed value.  For questions on how the rate is determined in your area, please contact us at 800-624-5835.

It appears someone already created a Community Connect account for my address, what should I do?

Do I have to pay for my annual membership in one payment?

Community Connect limits one profile to each specific Address. This still allows each unit to have an account at apartment buildings or condo complexes. If residents receive an error message that there is already a Community Connect account for this address, take the following steps.
  • Ask your family, roommates, or co-habitants if they've already created a profile.

Rural Metro Fire offers many payment options.  Our members can choose from: annual, semiannual, quarterly, and monthly payments.  We also offer an autopay option, so that you will have peace of mind that your payments are being made on time.  We recommend singing up for autopay when you enroll as a new member.

What is First Due / Community Connect?

Why does a fire engine respond when I call for an ambulance?

First Due is a leading software partner to some of North America's largest Emergency Service organizations. We're passionate about ensuring public safety agencies can take a giant leap forward in how information is used to plan for incidents, increase survivability, and derisk communities. By delivering a platform for collaboration and sharing, we are bridging the deadly information gap end-to-end, always keeping in mind the way First Responders and Emergency Managers work today.

All Rural Metro Fire firefighters are certified or licensed (in their respective states) Paramedics or Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). The 911 dispatch center sends the closest, most appropriate medic to your call for help. This might be a fire engine because ambulances are on the street or at hospitals with a patient. Also, the firefighters on the fire engine assist the ambulance crew to further increase the level of patient care to you or your family member. This all depends on the nature of the call and the medical history of the patient we are responding to. Our mission is to take care of you or your family member with the highest level of care available.

What happens to my membership if I sell my home?

As Rural Metro membership fees are non-refundable; it is the member’s responsibility to work with their title company when selling their home. Title companies may pro-rate your remaining membership fees and credit you at closing.

Why does Community Connect use a .io Website Domian?

In the tech and software development world, I/O means input/output, so .io is relevant to any company who's mission includes bringing technology to end-users. For this reason, .io domains are also more familiar than other non-.com top level web addresses.
Although first designed for British Overseas possessions in the Indian Ocean, .io has come to symbolize the perfect TLD for new projects emerging in the United States and Canada such as Community Connect.