Yuma Rural Metro Fire Department

Rural Metro Fire has served unincorporated Yuma County, Arizona since 1971, when the company acquired the Tri-State Rural Fire Department, which had already covered the area's scattered rural communities for 22 years. What began with four engines has grown into a six-station operation, most recently adding Station 10 in the Foothills area in 2024.

Unlike most departments on this board, Rural Metro Fire Yuma County is not a tax-funded municipal agency - it runs on an annual membership/subscription model that funds fire suppression and first-responder medical care across roughly 2,500 square miles of unincorporated county land, covering an estimated 64,000 residents outside Yuma's city limits. Crews handle structure and vehicle fires, wildland/brush fires, technical rescues, and medical emergencies, which account for more than 70% of the department's roughly 15,000 annual responses; firefighters are cross-trained as EMTs or paramedics.

Under Fire Chief Melissa Hilpert, the department describes its commitment as "professional, reliable fire protection built on a direct commitment to the families and communities we serve," continuing a service model Rural Metro Fire's parent company first established in Arizona in 1948 and has since expanded to several other states.

Rural Metro Fire hires firefighter, EMT, and paramedic positions through its company-wide ADP careers portal rather than a Yuma-specific job page; open Yuma County positions, when available, are posted there.