Fire department begins soft launch of automatic aid for reported structure fires

Fire Chief Bridal announced a soft launch of an automatic aid agreement that will take effect the following morning at 7:30 a.m., limited to reported structure fires. "We're gonna do what we call soft launch, starting tomorrow morning at 07:30," Chief Bridal said. He said the soft launch precedes the official Aug. 1 start date and will allow participating agencies to measure outcomes and adjust operations as needed. The chief described the agreement as the result of months of work on policy, training and familiarization so that personnel, apparatus and dispatch operate consistently across jurisdictions. "The hope for outcome is less damage from fires, quicker suppression, and reduced commitment time because the incident doesn't get bigger," Bridal said. Bridal also said he will be out of town for a little over two weeks beginning next Wednesday and that Deputy Chief Cedric Sissinia will serve as acting fire chief for the next council meeting. Council members praised the collaboration and commended battalion chiefs and partner agencies for shepherding the agreement through training and policy work. No formal council action was required for the soft launch announcement.