Play For Good
Chandler Fire
When you play at Gila River Resorts & Casinos, you play for good. Did you know that under the Arizona Tribal-State Gaming compacts, 12% of the tribe’s contribution to the state has been invested back into Arizona to improve education, healthcare, conservation, and public safety throughout the state? To show you how these tribal gaming revenues directly impact organizations, we are celebrating our partnership with the Chandler Fire Department this month.
Fire protection for the city of Chandler started over 100 years ago. In 1917, Chandler Fire had just 18 volunteers, a few hundred feet of hose, and two hose carts. Today, the Chandler Fire Department has 213 firefighters and paramedics, operating 18 firetrucks from 11 fire stations around Chandler. The Chandler Fire Department is a five-time accredited agency and has received a rating of 1 from the Insurance Services Office (ISO), the best possible, for their quick response times and top-notch training. They are one of only about 100 fire departments in the U.S. that are both accredited and have an ISO 1 rating.
Chandler Fire is an all-hazards fire department, meaning you can call 9-1-1 for basically anything, and they will handle it. From house fires to kittens stuck in a tree, Chandler Fire addresses all hazards in and around Chandler. The department is also an emergency manager, playing a critical role in the health and public safety of Chandler when Covid-19 hit in March of 2020.
The Chandler Fire Department is committed to protecting the community during crises but is also committed to preventing crises. They have a significant focus on public outreach, dedicated to educating Chandler residents on fire safety so if they are ever in a position of danger, they will know just what to do. Each year, when the department inspects the fire alarms at Chandler schools, they give fire safety lessons to 1st and 2nd graders so, from a young age, Chandler residents are prepared in case of a fire.
Because of the expertise and wide range of skills at Chandler Fire, they often extend their services to surrounding Fire Departments in Arizona, including the Gila River Fire Department, providing training for 29 other fire departments such as Phoenix, Gilbert, Maricopa, and Tempe. Part of this extended hand is visiting other fire departments in-person to provide specialized training in more difficult duties, like extraction and other life-saving techniques. This integrated training model allows for fire departments from different jurisdictions to work seamlessly together.
The grant from Gila River helped the Chandler Fire Department purchase 17 new and improved life-saving extraction tools, otherwise known as the jaws of life, allowing them to place one tool on every truck. The jaws of life are battery-powered tools that are lighter, stronger, and faster than the previous tools. The old equipment weighed roughly 75 pounds and had hydraulic hoses that needed to be connected to a generator, taking up time and necessary space on the fire trucks.
The jaws of life are instrumental in saving time on the scene of an accident. There is something known as the “golden hour” in public safety; a one-hour window from the time of the accident be removed from the scene, prepped, and into surgery to have a substantially better chance at surviving and living a meaningful life. By replacing the old equipment, Chandler Fire cut precious minutes off extraction time, subsequently saving more lives. In a life-or-death situation, time is of the essence.
The grant from Gila River helped buy life-saving equipment, but what it really bought was more time. By eliminating time-consuming steps, Chandler Fire can save more lives in the Arizona community.
The next time you play at Gila River, know you are helping make a remarkable impact on fire safety and protection in Chandler.
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NOT A MEMBER? BECOME ONE TODAY.
Become a member and gain access to exclusive perks and privileges with THE Card®. Earn and use points across all four properties plus participating partners.
