City of Reno and TMFPD Board of Fire Commissioners approve automatic aid agreement

New automatic aid agreement takes effect Oct. 1, 2015.

Reno, Nevada. Sept. 21, 2015. The Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District’s (TMFPD) Board of Fire Commissioners and the Reno City Council voted to approve an automatic aid agreement between the City of Reno and TMFPD at Monday’s concurrent meeting.

Automatic aid takes effect Oct. 1, 2015, and requires the nearest entity to respond to a report of a fire regardless of jurisdiction.

"Our automatic aid agreement with the City of Reno ensures the safety of our citizens remains a top priority not only now but well into the future," said TMFPD Board of Fire Commission Chair Marsha Berkbigler.” Automatic aid will improve response times and reinforces our commitment to work together with other emergency responders in the region. I want to thank everyone who has worked hard to get this done. This is a real win for our valued citizens.”

“Today is a great day for the City of Reno and Washoe County. The City, the County, the Fire Departments and other stakeholders have worked extremely hard to get to this point and I thank them for their efforts,” said Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve. “The City of Reno Fire Department has always stood ready to respond at a moment’s notice, and I firmly believe today’s agreement is a giant step in the right direction.”

“I have been a strong advocate for automatic aid and I am excited to reach this milestone,” said Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Chief Charlie Moore. “I look forward to building strong relationships now and in the future with all of our regional fire partners. The Fire Commissioners for Truckee Meadows and Sierra Fire Districts and the Citizens Blue Ribbon Committee have steadfastly supported the development of automatic aid relationships throughout Northern Nevada.  It is my belief that automatic aid works well and provides the service that our citizens expect.”

“The Reno Fire Department has always worked under the mantra of ‘if you need us, call us and we will be there, no questions asked.’ Today’s formalization of this agreement is the result of a long negotiation process and I am proud to be a part of it. I look forward to continuing to work with Chief Moore and helping our region improve fire response,” said Reno fire Chief Dave Cochran.

The Nevada Legislature passed Senate Bill 185 during the 2015 legislative session, requiring the City of Reno and the TMFPD to agree to automatic aid.

See a video produced by Washoe County Television about the agreement.

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