Our Mission
Committed to training Arizona's firefighters
Founded in 2012, the Arizona Firefighters Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization managed through the Arizona Community Foundation that raises funds to directly support the annual Arizona Fire School. Through generous donations from community partners and individuals, scholarships are provided to departments across Arizona, with a focus on rural areas, to provide critical trainings and educational programs in support of the safety of our fire professionals and the communities they serve.
Since 1972, the Arizona Fire School has been training firefighters with continuing education, live drills and skills to equip them with the latest techniques in firefighting. Facilitated by the Arizona State Fire Training Committee, each year in September, the Fire School conducts 30-35 different classes at over 10 locations throughout Metro Phoenix, educating nearly 1,000 firefighters and fire prevention professionals. The need remains for the community to get involved to help send more rural and volunteer firefighters to get the training they need to protect people and structures in rural Arizona.
Through generous funding by the business and philanthropic community, scholarships are provided each year to rural firefighters across the state helping those departments receive invaluable resources and training that would not be available to them otherwise. It is estimated that over 2 million of Arizona’s residents are protected by volunteer or combination departments. These departments are mainly in rural or semi-rural areas where residents and structures are spread over a wide range of terrain and territory and salaries for these firefighters are below poverty level.
About
Arizona Fire School
The Impact of Your Support
By the Numbers
$1 Million in scholarships gifted since 2012
3,500 firefighters on scholarship since 2012
150 fire departments impacted across the Southwest
$125K raised through AZ license plate
65 fire professionals volunteering on State Fire Training Committee
10+ training locations in Metro Phoenix
