Paul Diaz is a councilmember and two term former mayor, who has lived in the city of South Tucson for close to sixty years. He has been involved with the political system in South Tucson for 23 years.
He told AZPM that back in the day, the fire station in the city of South Tucson had a community volunteer system. Diaz was one of those volunteer firefighters in the 1960s.
A lot has changed during that time, and Diaz has seen it. Across the street from where the old fire station and jail were located, is the current South Tucson Fire Department.
Paul Diaz was the only ‘no’ vote in a 6-1 decision at the city council meeting regarding the merger with Rural Metro Fire in December of 2025. His response was based on a larger systematic dislike for the politics within the City of South Tucson.
“It goes back to the public not realizing what's happening but because the transparency is not transparent,” said Diaz. “The transparency is only for a group of people that are going to pass on the good words [of what is] happening in the City of South Tucson.”
He reiterated that this partnership’s aftermath was not explained to the firefighters and the public in the months of December and January.
Diaz brought a budget plan under $2 million he devised that the committee dismissed. The council decided to go a completely different route.
In order to pay for the fire station’s costs in 2025, prop 409 was introduced to raise property taxes to pay off $6 million in bonds over the next twenty years. The proposition was partly designed to collect money to pay for its own fire department.
“In three years you'll see them losing their homes,” said Diaz.
City manager Veronica Moreno explained that an independent consultant from City Gate looked at the feasibility of the plan and chose Rural Metro Fire. It was initially going to cost $1.9 million annually with an increase of 4% each year.
“The administration and special interest group consul did not want to put that money to a fire department here in Tucson,” said Diaz. “And now that they’ve signed the contract, they're claiming that ‘hey, it's our fire department.’ No, it's not. It's Rural Metro’s.”
Thirty employees have been fired from the South Tucson Fire Department over the past month since Rural Metro’s partnership. Diaz calls it “flat outsourcing.”
South Tucson Fire Captain Andy Luna was one of the employees fired and had his last day on Jan. 31. He handed over the keys to Rural Metro Fire on Feb 1.
According to Diaz there was a party held by City of South Tucson officials to celebrate Rural Metro Fire’s partnership launch. Diaz did not attend.
Since Feb. 1, the transition has begun smoothly, according to Moreno, having included a new fire truck and new equipment.
“The focus right now is continuity of service, a seamless transition for our community, and ensuring residents continue to receive reliable emergency response,” wrote Moreno in an email.
However, as Diaz pointed out, Rural Metro Fire can receive calls and go to fires outside the 1.2 city mile zone leaving less resources in times of need for those in South Tucson.
“[If] there's a fire call outside of the city as South Tucson, [and] they need the truck, the truck's going to be over there. What happens to our residents?” Diaz asked.
Rural Metro Fire has not commented on this matter to AZPM, despite attempts to contact them.
