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 BLM Cooperative Fire Protection Agreement was negotiated in 2014.  The renewal of this agreement will continue to provide SFD with the ability to receive mutual aid from the BLM and FS within the city limits, as well as defines the areas where SFD will provide mutual aid in the areas surrounding the City.  It also serves as a billing mechanism for fires outside of a 1 mile radius of the City and/or on the jurisdictions of the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service.   

This new agreement and annual operating plan will take effect once approved by the Sparks City Council, and the BLM, and FS.  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.

If approved by the Council, the Cooperative Fire Protection Agreement and Annual Operating Plan will be returned to the BLM and FS for their signatures.

Cooperative agreements are crucial in mitigating those emergencies that exceed the capabilities of a single agency.  The Sparks Fire Department ,the Bureau of Land Management, and the US Forest Service have a long history of working together in the containment and extinguishment of wildland fires.  This cooperative agreement would ensure this relationship for five years.  The agreement also defines the areas where mutual aid and assistance for hire are applicable, a process to respond to and request resources for all incidents, and defines procedures for reimbursement and invoicing for services.

1. Council can choose to not approve the Cooperative Fire Protection Agreement and The 2016 Annual Operating Plan between the Sparks Fire Department, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Forest Service.
2. Council can accept the recommended motion.

I move to approve the Cooperative Fire Protection Agreement and the 2016 Annual Operating Plan between the Sparks Fire Department, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Forest Service.