Washoe County’s Blue Ribbon Committee issued the report Tuesday on Regional Fire Service in Washoe County, Reno, Sparks and North Lake Tahoe. Among the problems, some don’t have enough firefighters on duty at any given time, fire responses are not standardized, Administration is redundant and staffing levels are unsustainable.
Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Chief Charles Moore says the biggest problem is one of jurisdictional boundaries.
“We still can’t send the closest fire engine to the emergency, which is ridiculous.
Moore says that sort of thing “happens every day” and he calls that “down right embarrassing.”
“And we have got to get past the politics and past the turf issues and we have to deliver the services that the citizens expect.”
The solution according to the blue ribbon report is to create a regional fire board that would consolidate services. The next step is to present the plan to citizens’ advisory boards in Reno and Sparks.
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