The Sparks Fire Department maintains cooperative agreements with local, state, and federal fire agencies to provide resources to assist each other with emergencies that exceed the capabilities of a single agency.

The current cooperative agreement with the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority has been in effect since January 1^st 1981 and is outdated.  This new agreement and annual operating plan has been approved by the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority and will become effective on February 1^st 2015 if it is approved by the Sparks City Council.  The annual operating plan will then be reviewed on a yearly basis to make adjustments to billing rates and contact information as well as to clearly define the operational aspects of the cooperative agreement.

The Reno Tahoe Airport Authority agreement provides the Sparks Fire Department with access to staffed emergency response resources and specialized apparatus and equipment.  It has a provision to provide for reimbursement of incurred costs for incidents lasting longer than 12 hours.  The reimbursement rates are agreed upon and are listed in the “Annual Operating Plan”.  Staff believes that this agreement has a good balance of billable and non billable risk.

This agreement is one of several cooperative agreements that cumulatively give the City a resource surge capacity during times of emergency.  There is a provision in this, and all of our cooperative agreements, to deny requests for assistance based upon operational needs within our jurisdiction.

1. Council can choose to not approve the Cooperative Agreement and the 2015 Annual Operating Plan between the Sparks Fire Department and the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority.
2. Council can accept the recommended motion.

Move to approve the Cooperative Agreement (AC-5118)and the 2015 Annual Operating Plan between the Sparks Fire Department and the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority.