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Fire chief: County approved automatic aid agreement; Imperial to pilot joint training across agencies
Summary
Fire department leaders reported the Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved an automatic aid agreement among AMR, the City of Imperial, El Centro and the county. The agreement now moves to joint training and a pilot phase to coordinate equipment and mutual response procedures.
The City of Imperial’s fire chief reported that the Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved an automatic aid agreement that includes AMR, the City of Imperial, the City of El Centro and the county. The board’s approval completed the final signature among the four parties, the chief said, and the agencies will now focus on training and implementation.
Chief-level staff said the next steps will include practical coordination on apparatus and hose loads, and agreed training exercises. “We need to make sure that the individuals from the different departments ... are very familiar with each other's equipment,” the chief said, noting small differences such as hose-loading patterns that can complicate joint responses. Battalion and deputy chiefs from the participating agencies are preparing a training plan and described the coming year as a pilot to test and refine procedures.
Action: The county’s approval was reported to the council as an informational update; no council action was required. The fire chief said a media release is planned and that the agencies will evaluate procedures, keeping successful practices and discarding approaches that do not work.
Ending: Fire leadership said the current year will serve as a pilot implementation period; the agencies will implement training, adjust procedures and issue updates once initial coordination is complete.
