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El Mirage council signs IGA to formalize fire-apparatus lending among partner agencies
Summary
Council approved an intergovernmental agreement to formalize lending and borrowing of fire apparatus among partner agencies; the agreement clarifies insurance and damage responsibilities after years of verbal arrangements.
The El Mirage City Council on April 21 approved an intergovernmental agreement that will let nearby municipalities lend and borrow fire apparatus on an as-needed basis while clarifying liability and insurance responsibility.
The agreement formalizes longstanding, largely verbal arrangements among West Valley fire departments. "There's been a verbal agreement among the West Valley fire departments for over 15 years," the fire chief said, explaining the need to spell out which entity's insurance covers damages when equipment is used by another jurisdiction.
Council discussed frequency and duration of prior borrowings; the fire chief said El Mirage had borrowed equipment from Sun City on several past occasions and that typical borrow periods averaged about three days. The item had been vetted by legal counsel and the municipalities' risk pool, staff said.
A motion to enter the intergovernmental agreement passed by voice vote. Staff said the agreement had been reviewed by legal and the risk pool to protect participating municipalities and make insurance responsibilities clear.
The agreement is aimed at maintaining service levels when apparatus are in maintenance or otherwise unavailable and to reduce ambiguity about repair and insurance responsibility when units move between jurisdictions.
