WASHOE COUNTY NEWS RELEASE
A proposed automatic aid agreement between the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and the city of Reno on behalf of the Reno Fire Department will be submitted to the Reno City Council for approval. Earlier today, the Washoe County Board of Commissioners, acting as the Board of Fire Commissioners for TMFPD, unanimously approved the proposal, which would establish automatic aid between both jurisdictions.
Truckee Meadows Fire Protection Chief Charles A. Moore says the agreement would authorize both TMFPD and RFD to develop pre-response dispatch protocols, which would provide a response from the closet fire engine, regardless of jurisdiction, when lives and property are at risk. “I know that this is a politically heated issue; however, considering the potential human costs that could occur with the loss of automatic aid, I believe it’s important to try one last time to address the issue of automatic aid with the city of Reno. The issue of response between the jurisdictions, which from initial reports show the county responds into the city with calls more frequently, seems to be secondary to this commission as compared to protecting human life.”
In addition to approving the automatic aid proposal, the Board of Fire Commissioners also unanimously approved a mutual aid proposed agreement between TMFPD and the city of Reno on behalf of the RFD. Moore explained that mutual aid is given when a fire district needs help during a specific crisis and is considered on a case by case basis, like a multiple home fire.
Mogul Fire Station
In other business, the Board of Fire Commissioners approved the acquisition by TMFPD of a 5-acre Mogul area parcel of land at 10201 W. 4th St. to relocate the career crew from Sierra Fire Protection District Fire Station #35 (Boomtown). The new station would serve the areas of Verdi, Mogul and Caughlin Ranch within the performance objectives set by the board.
Moore says, “Our staff completed a comprehensive analysis of response time from the new Mogul property to Caughlin Ranch and Verdi, and those runs were completed in the approved eight-minute response time. It’s also important for the residents to know that the Volunteer Fire Department, located at 165 Bridge St. in Verdi, will still be dispatched to all incidents within District 35, which covers the Mogul-Verdi area.”
The acquisition of the Mogul property is anticipated not to exceed $250,000, and the funds for the purchase would be from the TMFPD capital projects fund in addition to the construction and remodeling costs.
