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Az. Rural/Metro losing money in QC, needs subscriptions

By Elias C. Arnold
The Arizona Republic

Buildings are going up faster in Queen Creek than fire service subscriptions are being purchased, causing Rural/Metro Fire Department to lose money on its station there, company officials say.

About 42 percent of buildings inside town limits are covered by a subscription from the for-profit fire company, down from 58.5 percent in December 2004.

Total subscriptions have almost tripled to about 7,000 since then, but it is not enough to cover the nearly $1.5 million annual cost of a four-person fire crew, said Alison Cooper, a department spokeswoman. The station operated on a three-person crew until about a year ago, Cooper said. ...

Full Story: Rural/Metro losing money in QC, needs subscriptions