Sparks, Reno and Truckee Meadows fire chiefs outline plan for shared dispatch, automatic aid; feasibility study targeted for 2026

Fire chiefs from the Sparks Fire Department, the Reno Fire Department and the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District told the Sparks City Council on April 25 they are pursuing deeper regional cooperation on automatic aid, dispatch integration and joint training, and that they are drafting a jointly funded feasibility and efficiency study they hope to complete by December 2026.

The update was delivered by Fire Chief Walt White of the Sparks Fire Department, who said an interagency working group has met weekly since February to focus on “cooperation, coordination, efficiency, effectiveness” and to draft regional standard operating guidelines for the most common critical incident types. The chiefs described technical and operational steps they are pursuing — including CAD‑to‑CAD linkage using Hexagon, regional response models embedded in dispatch, and consideration of a co‑located fire dispatch center — to reduce call transfer delays and send the closest appropriate resource regardless of jurisdiction.

Why it matters: regional dispatch and automatic aid can shorten response times and alter which department manages an incident. Those changes affect staffing, training, labor agreements and equipment deployment across Sparks, Reno and Washoe County — and could be guided by pending legislation the agencies are monitoring.

“We agreed on transparent public updates,” White said. He described operational priorities including “closest appropriate unit dispatch regardless of agency or jurisdiction,” and said the CAD upgrades and Hexagon system will be central to faster call processing.

The chiefs said they have a rough draft RFP for a jointly funded feasibility and efficiency study. White said the legislation under consideration — referenced repeatedly as Senate Bill 319 — would require a study completed by December 2026 if enacted, so the agencies want to issue an RFP as soon as possible regardless of the bill’s outcome to secure qualified consultants.

Council members asked for specifics on cost, timeline and models. Councilmember Vanderweel asked whether staff had an estimate for the cost of the study; White said “not at this time.” White and other chiefs said they hope to post the RFP this summer but had not finalized a dollar amount. Councilmember Abbott asked whether the $20 million bond threshold discussed later in the meeting might need future adjustment if regional projects scale up; staff said the policy document can be revisited as needed.

On automatic aid, White clarified levels of agreements and the difference between limited and unrestricted automatic aid. “When we have the CAD‑to‑CAD linkage, when we're all on the same common dispatch platform where we can have visibility on the location and availability of each other's resources, then I think that we will naturally gravitate towards an unrestricted and potentially enhanced auto aid,” White said. He added that individual agencies may still want a unit from their own department to respond to calls within their jurisdiction.

Labor and union representatives in public comment said they support regional cooperation but emphasized staffing and safety. Tom Dunn, vice president of the Reno Airport and Sparks Firefighters Association Local 731, said firefighter and public safety is the union’s top priority and warned that federal staffing and program cuts could reduce mutual aid capacity. “Firefighter and public safety is our number 1 priority,” Dunn said, adding that 4‑person staffing on engine companies remains a safety issue the union will continue to press.

Next steps described to the council: the working group will continue drafting regional standard operating guidelines and response models; staff will engage labor groups (a labor meeting was scheduled for the Thursday after the council meeting); the agencies will refine and jointly fund an RFP for a feasibility and efficiency study; and chiefs will monitor Senate Bill 319 as it moves through the legislature. The chiefs said they will provide additional public updates at future county and Reno council meetings.

The presentation included references to peer models the group is studying — for example, Sacramento and Clark County — and to NFPA standards for personnel on scene. Several council members thanked staff for moving the collaboration forward but pressed for cost estimates and clearer timelines before committing funding.

No formal action, vote or ordinance was taken by the Sparks City Council on the regionalization update; the item was presented for information, questions and direction.