Huron Commission renews five-year agreement with rural fire association; chief explains joint response operations

The Huron City Commission voted to renew a five-year agreement between the City of Huron and the Huron Rural Fire Truck Association, authorizing continued shared use of equipment and specifying cost-sharing based on building square footage.

The renewal, presented under departmental business as agenda item 8.1, was described by Fire Chief Ron Hynes as a routine contract extension that clarifies language and continues the existing operating relationship. "Every member that is on the Huron Fire Department, both volunteer and paid, are members of the rural fire association," Hynes said, explaining the organizational link between the city department and the rural association.

The agreement, Hynes said, reflects that the rural association pays a tax levy from participating townships to cover operating expenses and that the association and city share certain apparatus and responsibilities. Under the contract terms cited by Hynes, the rural association's share of costs is calculated from the square footage used in the fire stations; Hynes said the rural group is responsible for 23.5% of the station square footage (as described in the meeting).

Hines also described how dispatch and response differ between city and rural calls. "If it's a city fire call, they call 911. Dispatch then lets us know. The paid firefighters will then take the engines to the scene. Our volunteers will then show up," he said. For calls in the joint jurisdictional area outside city limits, volunteers respond from the station and response times can be longer; Hynes gave a rough example that travel through town can be about 10 minutes each way, which can make rural calls take 20–25 minutes from dispatch to arrival of certain apparatus.

Commissioners asked about contract language and review; Commissioner Weinreis confirmed staff and the city attorney had met with the rural association's representatives and the association's secretary had reviewed the changes. A motion to approve the renewal passed on a roll-call vote.

Votes and procedural notes recorded in the meeting show unanimous assent from commissioners present; the motion was moved and seconded on the floor and approved by roll call.

The renewed agreement retains mutual-aid provisions, allows the city to use rural apparatus for some in-city responses (for example, small grass fires), and preserves the association's authority to respond in its township levy area. The agreement does not change the city’s staffing model; Hynes stated the city maintains a paid crew and a volunteer/on-call roster that supplements responses.

The commission did not specify additional funding changes tied to the renewal at the meeting; staff noted the agreement mainly updates language and reaffirmed cost-sharing already in practice.

The commission approved the contract renewal during the departmental items portion of the agenda; staff indicated the agreement will be executed consistent with the commission’s vote.