Taylor Carnes survived the near-drowning after Rural/Metro Corp. firefighters, who were crucial miles and minutes farther from her home in unincorporated Maricopa County, handled the call.
Tricia Carnes, the girl's mother, said Wednesday that Taylor has been released from the hospital and is doing well, but she wonders if the next accident victim will be so lucky.
That was the issue haunting authorities Wednesday in a case that underscores a potentially deadly rift between Goodyear and Rural/Metro.
Mark Gaillard, Goodyear fire chief, said his agency refused to roll because the call took place at a home in an unincorporated portion of Maricopa County in which Rural/Metro, not Goodyear, has the duty to provide emergency services.
"It's an issue everywhere," Gaillard said, explaining that other West Valley cities, including Avondale and Peoria, are grappling with the matter.
Beginning in 1984, Goodyear had a "mutual aid" agreement with Rural/Metro, but that was severed Nov. 1 at the direction of Goodyear officials, Gaillard said.
The pact allowed either department to contact the other for assistance on emergency calls. But Gaillard said city officials were concerned about working arm-in-arm with a private, for-profit corporation.
He said Goodyear is part of Automatic Aid, a system operated by Phoenix in which most Valley cities, except Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert and Scottsdale, have joined forces for mutual protection, essentially working under one umbrella.
Rural/Metro is not part of that pact, Gaillard said.
Rural/Metro officials were surprised when Goodyear refused to help out with Monday's emergency, said Ruthanne Gilbert, a Rural/Metro spokeswoman.
"When we called asking for help, we believed that a life-threatening situation would supercede any agreement or non-agreement," Gilbert said.
Dan Caudle, a Rural/Metro battalion chief, said he hopes that problems with Goodyear can be ironed out and that something can be arranged advantageous to both sides.
"The ball seems to be in Goodyear's court," Caudle said.
Officials said the emergency call went out about 6:40 p.m. Monday after a 9-year-old relative, Ricki Carnes, pulled Taylor from a pool in the 16600 block of West Hilton Avenue, near Sarival Avenue and Yuma Road in the southwest Valley.
The call was handled by Rural/Metro firefighters, who rolled from their closest station in Litchfield Park, about six miles away. It took them 10 minutes to arrive at the scene.
Caudle said Goodyear firefighters have a closer station. He estimates they could have arrived two minutes sooner had they agreed to help out.
Tricia Carnes, Taylor's mother, said she was hysterical and it seemed an eternity before aid finally arrived.
She said she had no idea whether to expect aid from Goodyear or Rural/Metro.
However, Richard Robinson, a neighbor, said he has long understood that he would have to rely on Rural/Metro in the event of an emergency.
Robinson said that was one of the considerations 10 years ago when he chose to live in a home in a county island.
Paul Adams, the Avondale fire chief, said his agency was called for help but Rural/Metro firefighters had almost arrived at the scene by that time.
Making an aid agreement with Rural/Metro is a complex issue, especially during a time of tremendous Valley growth, Adams said.
When people choose to live outside of a city or an established fire district, do they have a really have a right to rely upon a municipal fire department when emergencies arise? Adams asked. People unhappy with Rural/Metro services can push for city annexation or the creation of a fire district, Adams said.
Earlier this year, Peoria changed its policy of providing fire service to county islands unless there is a life in danger.
