Safety Tips

As fraud numbers continue to increase, identity protection experts are urging parents to freeze their child's credit to avoid a lifetime of financial headaches. According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity fraud incidents increased around 45% in 2020, with children frequently the target.James Lee, the COO for the Identity Theft Resource Cent...

This Fourth of July, Let's Leave the Fireworks to the Experts! There are plenty of events throughout the holiday weekend right here in Pinal County!  If you do plan to use legal fireworks this Fourth of July, be sure to follow these safety tips from the National Safety Council:Never allow young children to handle fireworks; older childr...

The Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) advises taxpayers to only make online payments through ADOR's official payment website, AZTaxes.gov. For card payments, AZTaxes will redirect to Point and Pay, which is an approved payment card service provider. The Department has been made aware of third-party websites offering bill payment services to pay ...

A break in the summer sun and soaring temperatures give way to monsoon clouds around the valley. Beginning in the middle of June and stretching into September, Arizona's monsoon season can bring wild changes in the weather. What begins as a nice warm day in the morning can turn into dangerous blowing dust, lightning and flash flooding. To those not...

EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING for San Tan Valley, Arizona and surrounding areas. The National Weather Service is reporting dangerously hot conditions are possible with afternoon temperatures ranging from 108 to 114 for San Tan Valley and surrounding areas including: Aguila Valley, Tonopah Dese...

Chances are high that you or someone in your family has gotten sick from something you ate in the last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six Americans get sick each year from foodborne diseases. Of those,128,000 wind up in the hospital and 3,000 die. While many stores quickly notify customers of recalls one ...

When summer temperatures start rising, so does the risk of heat-related injuries for children and pets left in vehicles. Media reports of more than 600 child deaths from 1998-2013 show that 52 percent were "forgotten" by caregivers; 29 percent were playing in unattended vehicles; and in 18 percent of the deaths, an adult intentionall...

As the nation heads into the Memorial Day weekend, Rural Metro Fire in Central Arizona reminds Maricopa & Pinal County residents to be safe when boating and swimming in open water areas. In 2017, the U.S. Coast Guard reported more than 4,000 recreational boating accidents resulting in 658 deaths and 2,629 injuries. Each year, app...

Wildfires can ruin homes and cause injuries or death to people and animals. A wildfire is an unplanned fire that burns in a natural area such as a forest, grassland, or prairie. Wildfires are becoming more prevalent in the Urban Interfaces. An 'Urban Interface' are location where housing and urbanization adjoin wildlands and unmaintained areas. Wil...

Drowning is the leading cause of death in children aged 1 – 4 years and the majority of the children that drown in swimming pools most commonly gain access to the pool area through a faulty fence or gate. Combined with constant child supervision and other layers of protection, physically checking your pool gate and maintaining your pool gate regula...

An Important Reminder during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the caregivers at Rural Metro Fire want to remind motorists that any activity that diverts attention away from the road is a potentially hazardous distraction."Taking your eyes off the road for a split second,...

Fireworks are often used to mark special events and holidays. According to the National Fire Protection Association, the only safe way to view fireworks is to attend a professional show.  With many professional firework shows being canceled again this year, it is important to know that fireworks are not safe in the hands of consumers. Firework...

By now, many of us have learned to glance at our phones before picking up to see whether we recognize the caller or whether it might be spam or a scam.And in case we forget to glance, recent federal legislation is now in effect to help stop illegal robocalls. The federal action requires phone providers to block calls from companies that fail to rep...

Can you guess in which room, or your home are you most likely to experience a fire? If you said the kitchen, your right. Thousands of home fires start in the kitchen. In particular, in or around kitchen appliances. Although, human error as a role in some of these fires, appliance fires are typically the result of mechanical or electrical failures. ...

No one expects it to happen on a sunny Saturday during a family bar-b-q or gathering. However, this time of year is when Arizona sees a tragic increase in backyard drownings and near drownings. Drowning has quickly become the single largest killer of children between the ages of 1 and 4, in the U.S. Worst of all drowning is preventable. The followi...