RENO --  The Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Board of Fire Commissioners (TMFPD) directed their staff Tuesday to work with staff from the City of Reno to develop an Automatic Aid agreement suitable to both agencies.

Automatic Aid is when the nearest fire station immediately responds to an emergency regardless of jurisdictional lines, much the way it worked under the Consolidated Fire Department.  With TMFPD's decision to deconsolidate they are asking the City of Reno to provide primary response to areas of their district they cannot serve at their established service levels.  Automatic Aid agreements typically do not include personnel staffing related matters, and typically are reciprocal, with each agency providing like level of service to each other.

The Reno City Council remains committed to serving Reno residents at the highest level, with full staffing, specialized teams like Water Rescue and HazMat, and the depth of resources unmatched by TMFPD.  They have established that any form of interagency assistance must be equitable.  The City of Reno remains open to an agreement that serves the public safety and financial needs of both jurisdictions.

Mutual Aid is different from Automatic Aid.  Mutual Aid is when one fire department contacts another and asks for assistance.  Almost all the regional and state fire services have ongoing mutual aid agreeements.  For example, during the Caughlin Fire, 54 agencies provided Mutual Aid.  The City of Reno will continue providing Mutual Aid to all local and state agencies, including Washoe County.