SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Sierra Vista Fire Medical Services has a new chief, and he's already navigating a record-breaking start.
Bradley Dever was promoted to fire chief on July 13, replacing Brian Jones. In his first month leading the department, crews responded to 1,000 calls — a single-month record the department had never previously reached.
"My number one goal is to ensure that we continue that trust, continue that commitment we have to our community," Dever said.
Dever first joined Sierra Vista Fire Medical Services in 2009 and served as deputy chief beginning in 2020 before his promotion.
"I was very humbled and honored, and something that I just I don't even know how to feel, because I feel like it was something that I never actually thought would happen to me," Deaver said.
Now leading the department, Dever is focused on helping it grow with limited resources. The department currently staffs 3 fire trucks and 3 ambulances operating within city limits around the clock.
"We're at the point where we do need to grow. We know that we need another fire engine. We need another ambulance 24 hours a day," Dever said.
Dever said a single structure fire can stretch the department's resources to their limit — and car crashes present a similar challenge, since they require multiple crews to respond.
"We have to understand that one structure fire completely exhausts all the resources we have within our community from a fire standpoint, and so even though we don't have a lot of them, when they do happen, they're catastrophic. They're dangerous," Dever said.
The city has budgeted for 2 new fire engines.
"We're ready. We're prepared every day. We truly have the best professionals out there," Dever said.
Despite the new title, Dever said the mission remains the same.
"We're here to serve our community, and so come see us, get to know us, and ask us questions and help us do better," Dever said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
