#08 - Regional Firefighters' Assoc Reciprocal Fire Svc Agr

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STAFF REPORT DATE: June 3, 2025 CONSENT TO: Mayor and Councilmembers FROM: Dustin Kalis, Fire Chief AGENDA ITEM: Regional Firefighters’ Association Reciprocal Fire Service Agreement CORE STRATEGIES: ☐ Vibrant, inclusive, connected community ☒ Efficient, reliable, innovative services ☒ Responsive, transparent, adaptive governance ☐ Balanced Finances now and future ☐ Managed Growth ☒ Resilient Infrastructure BACKGROUND: The purpose of this reciprocal fire service agreement is to allow Lake Elmo Fire Department personnel to respond and provide aid to another city or fire department within the Capital City Regional Firefighters’ Association Region 1 members. If needed, aid would also be provided to the City of Lake Elmo and the Lake Elmo Fire Department from these same departments under this agreement. ISSUE BEFORE COUNCIL: Should the City Council authorize the Mayor and City Administrator to enter into the reciprocal fire service agreement between the City of Lake Elmo Fire Department and the Capital City Regional Firefighters’ Association Region 1 Members. PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: This agreement represents a collective effort to streamline and strengthen our regional response framework by enabling departments to request and provide mutual aid under clear, standardized terms. It was developed with input from several municipal attorneys representing member departments and was created in alignment with the League of Minnesota Cities’ (LMC) information memo, “Considerations in Mutual Aid Agreements.” The draft has also been reviewed twice by Chris Smith, Risk Management Attorney with the LMC, helping ensure the agreement reflects sound legal principles and municipal risk management best practices. The agreement was also reviewed by our own legal counsel. FISCAL IMPACT: As stated in the agreement, a responding department shall not charge for assistance provided to the requesting department for the first twelve (12) hours of such assistance. If assistance provided under this Agreement continues for more than twelve (12) hours, the responding department may submit to the requesting department an itemized bill for the actual cost of any assistance provided after the initial twelve-hour period, including salaries, overtime, materials and supplies and other necessary expenses; and the requesting department will reimburse the party providing assistance for that amount.