Agenda - Council - 05/12/2009 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CC# 8 AUTNORl2E ENTERING INTO AMMENDED ANOKA COUNTY MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT. By: Dean Kapler, Fire Chief ' Background: The purpose of this case is to enter into an amended Mutual Aid Contract within Anoka County. Mutual Aid agreements are a tool used by communities, commonly the fire service to provide an acceptable level of service to the public while managing the resources within each community. Operating within a Mutual Aid Agreement allows communities to reach beyond their borders during times of emergency for both equipment and staffing. In the absence of such agreements, communities would have to purchase more equipment and have higher levels of staffing to provide the same level of service. The Ramsey Fire Department belongs to several Mutual Aid Agreements. Anoka County-Fire Protection Council and the North Suburban Mutual Aid Association are the two common agreements, along with Auto Aid Agreements with the communities of Anoka, Andover, Oak Grove and St Francis which provide more detailed shared services. The Anoka County Fire Protection Council recently amended the agreement to include two distinct changes: 1) Agreement covers all emergencies rather than specifically dealing with fires. 2J Allows communities to charge for services It should be noted that incidents under #2 would only be charged if a revenue source. is available. An example of this would be the extensive railroad fire a few years ago in Coon Rapids, Andover and Oak Grove where the railroad agreed to pay all costs. Otherwise, no costs are exchanged. The Agreement is attached to this case for review. It was reviewed by the County Attorney by request of the Fire Council. Funding Source: The cost for Ramsey Fire to provide services outside of its. borders is Ramsey's responsibility. In turn, when Ramsey requires assistance, the responding communities absorb those costs. The -39-