The City of Reno and Washoe County have reached an automatic fire aid agreement requiring the nearest fire truck to respond to a blaze, regardless of jurisdiction. Reno Public Radio's Julia Ritchey reports.
The new agreement takes effect October 1 and brings the city and county into compliance with a new state law aimed at improving response times to fires.
Under the agreement, Reno will provide automatic response in about a dozen different areas outside of its jurisdiction, while the county's Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District will provide aid in just five.
This is the first deal reached between the two departments since they acrimoniously split in 2012. The fallout over the cost of that divorce is still litigated in court.
During a joint hearing at the Washoe County complex, Reno Councilwoman Jenny Brekhus expressed skepticism over the deal.
"You know I think for me, in broad terms, this is a step somewhere. I'm not necessarily sure it's a step forward in more efficient governance for our region."
For Brekhus, and some other elected officials, a step forward would be a full merger of the two departments to deliver more efficient services.