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Imperial County ratifies one-year automatic aid agreement with El Centro, Imperial and AMR
Summary
The Imperial County Board of Supervisors voted to ratify a one-year automatic aid agreement with the City of El Centro, the City of Imperial and American Medical Response to speed fire and rescue response in a defined area, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
The Imperial County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 11 ratified a one-year automatic aid agreement among Imperial County Fire, the City of El Centro Fire Department, the City of Imperial and American Medical Response (AMR), effective Jan. 1, 2025.
County Fire Chief Lancer told the board the agreement is intended to reduce response time by dispatching units from multiple agencies simultaneously rather than waiting for a primary unit to request additional help. "Automatic aid is... agreed upon ahead of time, so that when the incident occurs, the calls go out simultaneously to each of the respective departments that are part of that agreement," Chief Lancer said.
The agreement, as described by Lancer, would have Imperial County commit an engine or truck to El Centro and Imperial (in addition to county-operated units already in Imperial), El Centro commit one engine or truck to Imperial County fire responses, Imperial City commit an engine or truck to El Centro or county responses within the agreement area, and AMR provide an ambulance and a supervisor to all three parties for rehab and medical care of civilians or responders.
Why it matters: Chief Lancer told the board that residential structure fires can require 15–16 personnel to complete critical tasks in the initial stages and that fire growth is rapid—"fire doubles in size every 60 seconds" under abundant fuel and oxygen—making early, adequately staffed responses important for life safety and shorter unit commitment times. Lancer cited the National Fire Protection Association standard (NFPA 1710) and an ongoing local critical-task analysis as the basis for staffing assumptions.
The agreement covers a limited geographic boundary described in the presentation that includes El Centro, Imperial, Heber and Seeley and nearby facilities (the presentation named IBC and two RV parks on the west end, Sunbeam and Rio Bend). Lancer said the boundary could be adjusted after initial implementation and that preliminary discussions are underway with the NAF fire station north of Seeley to explore future cooperation.
Board discussion emphasized resident-centered response. Supervisor Peggy Price commended the plan and AMR’s participation, saying she had "personally experienced a family emergency at home and when you guys responded... ambulance service was amazing," and expressed support for pooling resources.
The board approved the item by motion (motion by Supervisor Martha C. Singh; second by Supervisor Peggy Price). The transcript records the motion as carried; a roll-call tally was not included in the record.
Implementation notes recorded at the meeting: the parties plan to start with responses to residential fires and to monitor and adjust staffing and geographic coverage; the agreement also contemplates cross-jurisdictional responses to medical aids so the closest available unit answers regardless of agency patch.
A motion to ratify the automatic aid agreement carried during the meeting; no further implementation dates beyond the Jan. 1, 2025 effective date were specified in the public presentation.
