CREMONA - The Village of Cremona council has passed a motion approving a new 10-year multi-municipality fire agreement. The move came during the recent regularly scheduled council meeting.
The purpose of the mutual aid agreement is to provide mutual assistance to the parties for control of fire, fire prevention, emergency medical services, hazardous materials control, and/or other emergency support in the event of a major fire disaster or other emergency.
It is part of inter-municipal collaboration among the village, area towns and Mountain View County.
The agreement set out the conditions and procedures for mutual assistance among the various fire departments covered in the agreement.
“Each of the parties to this agreement has determined that it is in the best interests of each party to set forth guidelines for providing mutual assistance to each other in the case of a major fire, disaster or other emergency,” the agreement states.
The section regarding request for assistance reads as follows:
• The fire chief or authorized designate of the requesting party at the scene of an incident or emergency and within its geographic boundaries, or in situations where the agency is engaged in an area in which it has a pre-established mutual aid agreement, is hereby authorized to request assistance from another party of this agreement.
The section regarding response to a request for assistance reads, in part, as follows:
• The fire chief or designate receiving the request shall determine what available equipment and personnel should be dispatched in accordance with the plans and procedures established by the parties.
The section regarding command responsibility at emergency scenes reads, in part, as follows:
• The fire chief or designate of the requesting party at the scene of the emergency, to which the response is made, shall be in command of operations under which the equipment and personnel sent by the responding party shall serve.
The section regarding compensation reads, in part, as follows:
• Unless otherwise billable, each party agrees that it will not seek from the other party compensation for services rendered under this agreement.
The other municipalities in the agreement must also approve it for it to become operational.
The agreement would remain in effect until April 30, 2029 unless terminated with notice by the parties to the agreement.
