Hello Prescott, and welcome to this week’s Community Update.
Today, I’m coming to you from Fire Station 71.
Being here is a powerful reminder of the service, history, and commitment that define the Prescott Fire Department, and I’m honored to be joined today by our Fire Chief, Holger Durre, who I’ll introduce in just a moment.
Before we turn to our public safety spotlight, I’d like to share a few recent City updates.
Last week, we celebrated the groundbreaking of The Assembly on the site of the Old City Hall, marking an exciting milestone for downtown Prescott. This project represents thoughtful redevelopment, historic preservation, and strong collaboration between the City and private partners. It’s another example of how we continue to invest in our community’s future while honoring Prescott’s past.
The Prescott City Council will meet on Tuesday, January 27, with a Study Session beginning at 1:00 p.m., followed by the Voting Meeting at 3:30 p.m.
During the Study Session, Council will receive presentations and hold discussions on:
Automated License Plate Readers, also known as Flock cameras
The City’s wastewater treatment centralization efforts, and
The Watson Woods Riparian Preserve in-lieu of fee program and conservation easement.
To ensure efficient use of time, each of these topics will be limited to 45 minutes. No public comment will be taken during this Study Session, but written comments may be submitted to city.council@prescott-az.gov.
During the Voting Meeting, Council will continue discussion on an ordinance related to permitted and prohibited activities in City parks and waterways. Public comment will be accepted during the Voting Meeting in accordance with the usual process.
As always, meetings are open to the public and available to watch live or later online.
Now, let’s talk about the Prescott Fire Department, it was established in 1885 and is the oldest fire department in the state!
Fire Station 71 is part of a department with a proud history that began when volunteer bucket brigades protected a growing frontier town. Over time, that spirit of service evolved into the modern, highly trained department we rely on today—one that continues to adapt, grow, and respond to the needs of our community.
The Prescott Fire Department plays a critical role not only in medical and emergency response, but also in fire prevention, inspections, community education, and regional coordination—work that keeps our residents, businesses, and visitors safe every day.
I’m especially pleased to be joined by Fire Chief Holger Durre, whose leadership reflects both respect for the department’s long history and a clear focus on the future.
Chief Durre, thank you, and please take a moment to share more about the Prescott Fire Department, an update on the department’s strategic planning efforts, how recent investments are strengthening public safety, and how our community can help shape the path forward.
Hello, I’m here today to share an important update on the future of the Prescott Fire Department.
Since 2022, our Strategic Plan has served as the foundation for everything we do. It’s not just a book on a shelf—it is a performance-based, outcome-driven roadmap. We use it to ensure that our services aren’t just active, but effective. As we look toward our 2026 update, our goal is simple: We want a plan that reflects the entire community. We are looking for a diverse set of stakeholders—residents, business owners, and local partners—to help us refine our priorities.
We need your feedback to make this work. Please visit our website to fill out our community survey—the deadline is February 14th. Additionally, if you prefer to offer your feedback in person, we invite you to join us for an in-person stakeholder session on February 25th. We are also hosting several open houses over the next few months to gather feedback for the City Council. Your voice is the most important part of this plan. Thank you for helping us keep Prescott safe.
You’re already seeing the results of this planning in action. Thanks to the projects funded by Proposition 478, we are planning for new stations, improving our existing stations, and increasing our staffing. These are the tools we need to keep response times low and safety high.
But equipment is only half the battle. We also have to look at the environment we live in. Prescott is a beautiful city, but our proximity to the forest means we must be proactive about wildfire risk.
We are currently preparing to update our Wildland-Urban Interface—or WUI—codes. We know how important it is to get this right. We need a code that comprehensively reduces risk while ensuring that construction and growth in our city are not unduly impacted.
Remember, codes are just one part of becoming a Fire-Adapted Community. It’s a collective effort involving education, landscape management, and smart building.
Thank you for joining us for this Community Update and thank you to the men and women of the Prescott Fire Department for your continued service.
We appreciate you staying engaged, informed, and connected. I look forward to sharing more updates with you soon.