Proponents of the bill, sponsored by Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, said the primary reason the border could be moved two miles toward Clark County is to improve emergency service access to homes just outside Pahrump. The winding road through the Mt. Potosi pass makes for lengthy response times for Clark County emergency personnel. Pahrump is within view of Fick's nine-home neighborhood. Fick scoffed at the argument. After all, when he moved into the desert far from Las Vegas he was well aware of Clark County's services, or lack thereof.
Residents use wells, and there is no septic system.
It takes awhile for police or medical personnel to reach them. And, Fick said, their homes will burn to the ground if they catch fire because no matter which county's firefighters respond, they can't haul enough water to the neighborhood. Though Clark County collects taxes from Fick and his neighbors, it is Pahrump's emergency crews who first respond to the area. Just two miles from Fick's home, flames burst from a motor home that limped to the shoulder of Highway 160 on Thursday. Twenty minutes after thick black smoke could be seen bellowing from the horizon, the first fire engine arrived from Pahrump.