Concho renews training agreement with Gateway Technical College for Firefighter I course; resident asks about liability

The City of Concho Public Safety Committee approved an annual agreement with Gateway Technical College to host a Firefighter I state certification class using city land and training resources.

An agency official described the agreement as an annual renewal the city has run with Gateway for three years and said the partnership has aided recruiting. “This is the agreement to enter in with Gateway Technical College to provide our land and resources for the firefighter 1, state certification class,” the agency official said.

A resident asked during public comment about liability if a Gateway student is injured using city-owned training equipment, citing Kenosha Unified equipment as an example. “What are the liability ramifications if somebody, a Gateway student gets hurt on, with Kenosha Unified equipment?” the resident asked.

The agency official responded that students and activities are covered under Gateway’s insurance and that the city is providing a location and resources; “All we’re doing is providing them the location and the resources… that are covered under Gateway’s insurance,” the official said. Following discussion, the committee moved, seconded and approved the agreement by voice vote; the chair stated the motion carried.

The committee did not state financial terms or further limits on city liability during the meeting. The agreement was presented as operational support for training rather than a transfer of equipment ownership or financial aid. Any specific insurance policy details or dollar amounts were not specified in the record.