The Kenai City Council agreed upon an outline of an automatic aid agreement between the City of Kenai Fire Department, the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Central Emergency Service Area, and Nikiski Fire Service Area.
City Manager Paul Ostrander offered details, “This is an updated auto aid agreement between the Kenai Fire Department and CES and Nikiski. This redefines some of the boundaries that auto aid applies to. Essentially our auto aid area expands all the way from the intersection of K-Beach road and the Sterling Highway out in the Kasilof area on K-Beach all the way to East and West Poppy Lane on that side. Then, when you talk about on this side of the river, our response goes all the way to Soldotna to Spruce, which is the first intersection this side of Knight Drive and then we actually respond all the way to all of Nikiski’s fire service area. Those boundaries have changed a little bit. Those are the areas that this covers. It also outlines what personnel and equipment we’ll be sending and also in reciprocity, how much CES and Nikiski will be sending our way as well.”
Kenai Fire Department will provide a tanker, pumper, and two personnel, on a first-alarm response to an incident scene. They would also offer reciprocal response to East and West Poppy Lane to the intersection of K-Beach Road and the Sterling Highway. Central Emergency Services will provide the same.
Joint training exercises will also be carried out annually, under the direction of the Fire Chief’s Operation and Training Officers in each department. Also, the various responders will have the ability to communicate with each other via radio communications.
Vice Mayor Bob Molloy offered his support, “Like everyone else, I really support this. I appreciate you bringing the map to us. I just wanted to note that it also involves doing training between all of our emergency services and that is a really good thing and it proves the ability to respond in our communication with each other.”
Resolution 2020-83 passed unanimously.
