Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Truckee Meadows fire chiefs present progress on regional dispatch, SB319 study and planned RFP
Summary
Officials from Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, Reno Fire and Sparks Fire updated commissioners on work toward unified dispatch, unrestricted automatic aid and a third‑party study (SB319 amendment narrowed to a study). Agencies plan an RFP and operational alignment ahead of possible legislative changes.
Fire leaders from the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, Reno Fire Department and Sparks Fire Department briefed the Washoe County Board Tuesday on steps toward operational regionalization, a shared dispatch platform and a planned third‑party study requested by legislators and the jurisdictions.
The update matters because regionalizing dispatch and implementing unrestricted automatic aid could reduce response times and streamline regional emergency operations; it also has budget and labor implications for multiple jurisdictions.
Dale Way, interim fire chief and CEO of the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, said the chiefs and managers have met weekly since a February joint meeting to define scope and milestones for regionalization, focusing on closest‑unit dispatch across borders and shared standard operating guidelines. The officials described a near‑term technical milestone: a regional upgrade to the Hexagon CAD system, with an anticipated go‑live between September and October. They said a coordinated RFP for a third‑party study and business plan is being drafted; the working group intends to include labor groups in those discussions.
Senate Bill 319 — originally broader — was amended to focus on a study; Way said the amendment narrowed the bill to the study the jurisdictions already sought. The chiefs said they would pursue the study and business plan even if the legislature did not pass SB319. Reno Fire Chief David Cochran and Sparks Fire Chief Walt White said shared training, regional SOGs and decision‑making were priorities.
Board members pressed for a timeline and for assurances the RFP would be available for each jurisdiction to review. Commissioners expressed support for a third‑party study before deeper consolidation and for steps that produce operational improvements without immediately changing tax or funding structures.
Next steps: the regional working group will finalize the RFP, engage labor representatives, and report back to each jurisdiction’s governing bodies as the study proceeds.
