Parker council approves transfer of fire life‑safety services to South Metro Fire; council cites operational savings

Parker Town Council voted unanimously to amend the municipal code to transfer fire life‑safety responsibilities to South Metro Fire Rescue and to approve an intergovernmental agreement to fund startup costs for that transfer.

Parker’s fire and building life‑safety work — including plan review, inspections, community event compliance, mobile vendor oversight and fire permit approvals — will be handled by South Metro, aligning Parker with other municipalities in South Metro’s service area. Parker Fire previously performed those services in‑house.

Parker Fire Chief Lawson said the code amendments are cleanup to align town code with the International Fire Code and to designate South Metro, rather than the town’s chief building officer, as the official authority for fire-code interpretation and enforcement.

Town staff told council the intergovernmental agreement includes a one‑time startup payment to South Metro to cover onboarding and equipment; the transcript includes an amount that appears inconsistent with later budget discussion, so the article does not restate that figure verbatim. Staff estimated the move will produce net savings to the town of about $58,000 per year going forward. Council members said uniform inspections and a single reviewer for the region will reduce duplication and make permitting more efficient for businesses.

Council approved both ordinances (the fire‑code amendment and the IGA) on second reading and approved the IGA for payment of startup costs; both measures passed unanimously.