Tombstone Fire Department

10/07/2026

09/30/2026

🔥 COMMUNITY FIRE SAFETY UPDATE 🔥

Tombstone, we see the work many of you are doing to help keep our community safe, and we appreciate it.

When it comes to fire and life-safety information, the Tombstone Fire Department relies on established fire-code standards, including the International Fire Code (IFC), along with the training and experience of our fire prevention personnel.

AI and other online resources can be useful tools—we use technology too—but fire-safety information can vary depending on the situation, applicable codes, and local conditions. When you have a question about fire prevention, property safety, hydrant access, or another fire-related concern, we encourage you to contact the Fire Department directly. We are always happy to answer questions, provide clarification, and help our residents find reliable information.

We also want to provide an update regarding several hydrants recently identified with significant vegetation growth.

Those hydrants have been addressed. Deputy Chief / Fire Marshal Anthony Palma personally went into the field and cleared vegetation around several of the most heavily obstructed hydrants to improve their visibility and accessibility for responding firefighters. The attached photos show some of those locations.

A fire hydrant may sit quietly for years—but when it is needed, every second matters. Being able to quickly locate, approach, connect to, and operate a hydrant is an important part of an effective emergency response.

Thank you to the residents who pay attention, ask questions, report concerns, and work alongside us to protect Tombstone. Public safety works best when the community and its first responders work together.

If you have a fire-safety concern or question, please reach out to the Tombstone Fire Department. We would much rather answer a question today than encounter a preventable problem during an emergency.

Anthony D. Palma
Deputy Chief / Fire Marshal
Tombstone Fire Department
AZCFSE Fire Investigator II | AZCFSE Fire Inspector

🔥 Working together to keep Tombstone safe.

09/26/2026

🐝 A Quick Bee Safety Reminder for Our Tombstone Community

With bee activity around town, we wanted to share a few simple safety reminders that can make a big difference.

🏜️Arizona is home to Africanized honey bees, often referred to as “killer bees.” They look very similar to other honey bees, but they can become much more defensive if they believe their colony is being threatened.

Most bees you see going about their business are not a cause for alarm. The important thing is knowing what to do if you come across a hive, swarm, or unusually aggressive bee activity.

If you notice a colony or swarm:

🛸• Give it plenty of space and keep children and pets away.
🪾🤽🏻‍♂️🪨• Avoid mowing, trimming, spraying, throwing objects, or otherwise disturbing the area.
🦡🤺• Don’t attempt to remove an established colony yourself — contact a qualified bee-removal or pest-control professional.

If bees begin attacking, your priority is to get away quickly. 🏃🏻‍♀️💨💨🐝💨

🚨Run to an enclosed building or vehicle and protect your face and eyes as you move. Don’t stop to swat at the bees, and don’t jump into a pool or other body of water — bees may remain nearby and wait for you to surface.🚨

🚨If someone has been stung repeatedly, is having difficulty breathing, develops swelling of the face or throat, becomes dizzy, or appears to be having a severe allergic reaction, call 911 immediately.🚨

One other thing worth watching for: a few bees visiting flowers or water is perfectly normal. But if you see a steady stream of bees repeatedly entering and leaving the same hole, wall, tree, shed, utility box, or other enclosed area, there may be an established colony nearby.

We’re not sharing this to make anyone afraid of bees — they’re an important part of our environment. We just want our community to know how to recognize a potentially dangerous situation and, most importantly, when to give them some room.

Please share this with your family, neighbors, and anyone who may spend time outdoors around Tombstone. A little awareness can prevent a very unpleasant — and sometimes serious — encounter.

Stay safe, Tombstone. 🐝❤️

Tombstone Fire Department

09/26/2026

Hello Tombstone Community,

We are aware of the overgrowth around the fire hydrants due to the excellent monsoon storms we’ve had. We will be working together with Public Works to properly maintain the vegetation around the fire hydrants.

We understand the concern regarding hydrants not being visible. Having an accessible and reliable water source during an emergency is one of our firefighters’ top priorities.

Rest assured, the Tombstone Fire Department utilizes fire hydrant mapping software on our fire apparatus computers. Hydrant information has been digitally entered into the system and includes the location of each hydrant, water pressure, and other nearby available fire hydrants once an emergency address is entered.

All of this information is entered and maintained by our department using GIS mapping and fire hydrant testing data.

We understand that this is not a solution to the vegetation issue, but it is an additional safety measure we have in place to help ensure our firefighters have an adequate water supply and to help keep our community safe.

We appreciate the community’s understanding regarding this issue, and we understand the frustrations and concerns you may have.

We all play a part in creating and maintaining a safe Tombstone community, and we must continue working together to keep it that way moving forward.

Thank you.

-Anthony D. Palma,
Deputy Chief / Fire Marshal
AZCFSE Fire Investigator II | AZCFSE Fire Inspector

09/25/2026

09/25/2026

🔥 A Friendly Reminder to our Tombstone Community 🔥

🤲 We all play a part in helping keep Tombstone safe, and sometimes the little things around our homes, businesses, and properties can make a big difference.

👩🏻‍🌾 As you’re working around your property, we kindly ask that you keep an eye on dry grass, weeds, brush, and other debris, make sure driveways and access areas stay clear, and give fire hydrants a little extra space.

🚒 If you have a hydrant near your home or business, please help us by keeping it visible and free from vegetation, parked vehicles, fencing, decorations, or anything else that could make it harder to reach during an emergency.

🧑‍🚒 Our firefighters rely on quick and easy access to hydrants when every second counts, and your help truly makes a difference.
Thank you for taking pride in your property, looking out for your neighbors, and helping us keep Tombstone safe.

💫We appreciate our community and everything you do to help us do our job

-Tombstone Fire department
Fire Prevention Division

09/21/2026

Why does a fire department need an association?

A strong association is not created to oppose department or city leadership. It exists to give fire personnel an organized, professional way to advocate collectively for the people, resources, training, equipment, and working conditions necessary to serve the community safely and effectively.

In many smaller departments, firemen do not have a formal union representing their shared interests. An association can help fill that role by providing a unified voice, promoting fair and consistent practices, supporting members during difficult circumstances, and creating an appropriate channel for concerns to be raised before they become larger problems.

It can also strengthen the department through community outreach, charitable work, public education, and fundraising for needs that may not be covered by existing departmental funding.

Ultimately, supporting firemen and supporting the community are not competing goals. When firemen have a constructive way to communicate, advocate, and look after one another, they are better equipped to look after the people they serve.

An association is not about creating division. It is about building representation, accountability, cooperation, and a stronger fire service for everyone.

09/18/2026

Safe to return!

Thank you!

🚨ACTIVE INCIDENT 🚨

PLEASE AVOID AREA OF

FAMILY DOLLAR
208 N SUMNER

THANK YOU!

09/18/2026

🚨ACTIVE INCIDENT 🚨

PLEASE AVOID AREA OF

FAMILY DOLLAR
208 N SUMNER

THANK YOU!