It’s one of those situations where assistance may not be needed on a regular basis but it’s nice to know it’s there.
The Sedona Fire District’s Governing Board unanimously agreed to extend an intergovernmental agreement with area fire departments at its Tuesday, July 16, meeting.
SFD is a member of the Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council and was a participant in the development of the initial attack standards for wildland fire, a staff report states. This initial attack plan provides us with immediate access to trained and equipped local, state, and federal wildland fire resources from the Flagstaff area.
This IGA is the legal mechanism between these government agencies to address the issue of wildland fire response to neighboring jurisdictions in a mutually beneficial way.
“We don’t have to send stuff and we’re responsible for, under this agreement, what people send to us,” Acting Chief Jayson Coil said. “It’s their responsibility to cover the costs. We try to reciprocate but if we’re super busy, there’s no requirement that on that specific day we have to send stuff to Flagstaff or whoever the other cooperators are. What they give us on our bad days far eclipses what we’ve provided them. So, this is a good move for the district.”
This agreement includes the city of Flagstaff, city of Williams, the Sedona Fire District, the Pinewood Fire District, the Highlands Fire District, the Summit Fire and Medical District, Mormon Lake Fire District, and the Ponderosa Fire District.
“It is the desire of the parties to continue and improve the nature and coordination of emergency assistance to incidents that threaten loss of life or property within the geographic boundaries of their respective jurisdictions to include regional operations, procedures, and practices governing command and control and hazard zone operations,” the agreement states.
This IGA does not require a financial commitment from SFD or require SFD to reimburse another agency. Except as specifically agreed to by the parties for a particular incident, neither party shall be reimbursed by the other party for any costs incurred pursuant to this agreement.
In his recommendation, Coil wrote, “Wildland Fires are one of the three main hazards Sedona faces. The reciprocal mutual aid this agreement provides and the standards it identifies align with the National Response Framework and provide a mechanism to access essential resources and reduce the potential impacts and duration of wildland fires threatening Sedona.”
Ron Eland can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 122 or by email at reland@larsonnewspapers.com
