The Sun Lakes Women’s Association was honored at their May meeting by the Sun Lakes Fire Department. The Chief and several department members presented a beautiful award acknowledging all our association has done for them over the years. We are so touched by that. Especially because they are our heroes! It is definitely a labor of love to support them!

And the Women’s Association has always been deeply committed to the Sun Lakes Fire Department. In 1978 the very first item of business for the Association was to change the name officially. Before we became the Sun Lakes Women’s Association, we were the Sun Lakes Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary. We’ve never forgotten our roots.

Our history shows that we’ve donated over $275,000 to the Sun Lakes Fire Department since 1978. It’s hard to imagine (or remember) that when Sun Lakes opened there were very few community amenities here. We were really out on the edge of the desert. The volunteer fire department was a necessity. As the population grew they became a funded department. Still, we know these are the crews that will always come to help us. We want “our” fire department to have the best!

Specifically, in the last 10 years we have donated over $100,000 to the Fire Department. Our donations have included these items:

Eight high pressure water nozzles for their hoses – something they brought along to show and thank us for. Boy, are they proud of those!

$45,000 of technology upgrades for medical software on tablets the crews use, and the radios in the ambulances.

New seating in the department lounges and work areas.

Two power gurneys – with hydraulic lifts and locks. They tell us it keeps the patient safer, and keeps their backs safer – a double win!

$20,000 for emergency breathing equipment for the rescue vehicles.

We funded the updating of all their files and records during an office upgrade in 2008.

We funded the program they created and executed to get all Sun Lake residents to keep their medical records on flash drives.

According to their website, the current call volume for both houses is 3,500 calls annually. Only about 150 of those calls are for fire emergencies. The rest are for medical emergencies. They have a current staff of 48 emergency responders and a larger staff of support. They are open and accessible, professional and most definitely they are our heroes. They have saved us over and over. And so the Sun Lakes Women’s Association’s ongoing love affair with the Sun Lakes Fire Department will continue!

Consider joining us – all women in Sun Lakes, owners or renters, are welcome. We meet on Mondays from 9:00-11:00 a.m. in the Sun Lakes Arts and Crafts Room.

Or consider donating to us – historically about 25 percent of everything we raise goes to support the Sun Lakes Fire Department; call 480-895-9270, ext. 220.