AGENDA CAPTION:
Title
Consider approval of Resolution 2025-63R, approving a Multi-Party Agreement for Automatic Aid in Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services; authorizing the City Manager, or her designee, to execute the agreement on behalf of the city; and declaring an effective date.
Body
Meeting date: April 1, 2025
Department: Fire Department, Chief Les Stephens
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Fiscal Note:
Prior Council Action: The City has not had an Automatic Aid agreement prior to this one.
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Background Information:
The City of San Marcos and our immediately contiguous neighbors would benefit from participating in an Automatic Aid agreement. Automatic Aid avoids unnecessary delays in the dispatch and subsequent arrival of emergency responders. All Fire/EMS/Law Enforcement agencies in Hays County now work off of a common Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. This makes the dispatching of units, regardless of department or jurisdictional boundaries, seamless and efficient.
This agreement is only the first step toward Automatic Aid. This is the instrument that addresses the legal requirements. Each agency desiring Automatic Aid with a neighboring jurisdiction(s) will still need to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining their specific agreement for service.
An Automatic Aid Agreement and a Mutual Aid Agreement both involve Fire and EMS services collaborating with neighboring jurisdictions, but they differ in their operational structure and benefits.
Automatic Aid Agreement:
In an Automatic Aid Agreement, emergency response units are automatically dispatched to assist a neighboring jurisdiction when certain criteria are met, usually without the need for direct request or confirmation. These agreements are typically pre-established to ensure rapid and coordinated responses. The benefits of an automatic aid agreement include:
1. Faster Response Time: Since units are automatically dispatched based on predefined criteria, response times are generally faster, improving the likelihood of better outcomes in emergencies.
2. Improved Coordination: With automatic dispatching, there is greater predictability and organization between departments, reducing confusion during a high-stress emergency.
3. Resource Optimization: Fire and EMS services can share resources like personnel, equipment, and apparatus in a way that maximizes efficiency and reduces redundancy.
4. Coverage for Overwhelmed Services: If one jurisdiction is already handling a major incident and is unable to respond quickly, automatic aid ensures a prompt response without the need for additional requests.
5. Enhanced Interoperability: The pre-established procedures allow agencies to work seamlessly together, making it easier to handle complex emergencies that require multi-jurisdictional coordination.
Mutual Aid Agreement:
In contrast, a Mutual Aid Agreement relies on a request-for-assistance model. When a jurisdiction needs additional resources beyond its own capabilities, it can request aid from neighboring areas. The benefits of a mutual aid agreement include:
1. Flexibility: Jurisdictions can request aid when needed, allowing them to manage resources based on specific needs and situations. There is no automatic deployment, which gives agencies more control over when and how they seek assistance.
2. Cost-Effectiveness: Since mutual aid is often based on reciprocal agreements, there may be minimal financial exchange. Agencies help each other out without a formal cost arrangement, which can save money on resources.
3. Adaptability: These agreements can be tailored to specific types of incidents, allowing for flexible, case-by-case resource requests.
4. Stronger Relationships: Mutual aid agreements foster collaboration and relationship-building between neighboring jurisdictions, creating a network of support when large-scale incidents occur.
5. Reduced Risk of Overcommitment: Since the requesting agency determines when and how aid is received, there’s less risk of depleting resources or overcommitting departments. The responding agency is also given the opportunity to determine whether it has extra resource(s) available to commit to an emergency in another jurisdiction.
Key Differences and Benefits Comparison:
• Response Speed: Automatic aid provides faster responses since there’s no delay in requesting help, whereas mutual aid may take longer due to the need for requests and approvals. This also takes longer because a call must be made from one Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) to another.
• Control: Mutual aid gives jurisdictions more control over when and what resources they request, whereas automatic aid dispatches resources automatically based on predetermined algorithms recommended by the Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD) or Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) system. These response packages and response box sequences are also preprogrammed based on call type and severity. For example, a 5-acre grass fire would get more resources than a small median fire; a multi-story apartment or commercial building fire would get more resources than an outside shed or single-family residential structure fire.
• Predictability: Automatic aid agreements lead to more predictable and coordinated operations, while mutual aid offers more flexibility but with less predictability.
In summary, an Automatic Aid Agreement offers more rapid and seamless responses, making it ideal for areas that experience frequent emergencies or where response times are critical. A Mutual Aid Agreement, on the other hand, provides more flexibility and control, making it valuable in situations where assistance needs are unpredictable, and resources can be allocated as required and requested. Both agreements can complement each other depending on the operational needs and resources available.
Initially, San Marcos Fire Department plans to utilize Automatic Aid with Kyle Fire Department, South Hays Fire Department, and potentially New Braunfels Fire Department. But, we will have Mutual Aid for incidents when we need to request/provide assistance from agencies farther away, like Seguin, Buda, Canyon Lake, Wimberley, and North Hays Fire Departments.
Examples of Automatic Aid: San Marcos Fire plans to benefit from Automatic Aid by adding unit(s) from the Kyle Fire Department to our initial alarm response to assist with incidents such as structure fires in Blanco Vista and Whisper. This will allow faster response and fewer San Marcos Fire Department units to respond on the initial alarm. We plan to provide assistance by adding Station 2/Engine 2 (La Cima) to South Hays’ Fire Department’s response to emergencies at the San Marcos Academy. These are just a few examples of the benefits an Automatic Aid agreement will afford us.
All of the following agencies/entities intend to sign this Automatic Aid agreement. Subsequently, it will be up to each of them to execute Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with the agencies they intend to Automatic Aid with.
1. Hays County Emergency Services District 1 (North Hays EMS)
2. Caldwell/Hays Emergency Services District 1 (Chisholm Trail Fire - Rescue)
3. Hays County Emergency Services District 2 (Buda Fire Department - EMS)
4. Comal County Emergency Services District 2 (Canyon Lake Fire/EMS)
5. Hays County Emergency Services District 3 (South Hays Fire Department)
6. Comal County Emergency Services District 3 (Canyon Lake Fire/EMS)
7. Hays County Emergency Services District 4 (Wimberley Fire Department)
8. Hays County Emergency Services District 5 (Kyle Fire Department)
9. Hays County Emergency Services District 6 (North Hays Fire - Rescue)
10. Hays County Emergency Services District 7 (Wimberley EMS)
11. Hays County Emergency Services District 8 (Buda Fire Department)
12. Lockhart Fire Department
13. New Braunfels Fire Department
14. San Marcos/Hays County EMS
15. Seguin Fire/EMS
16. Hays County Office of Emergency Services
17. Caldwell/Hays County Emergency Services District No. 1 (Travis County Fire - Rescue)
18. Blanco Emergency Services District No. 1 (Blanco Fire Department - EMS)
19. Blanco Emergency Services District No. 2 (Blanco Fire Department - EMS)
20. Caldwell County Emergency Services District No. 2 (Maxwell Fire Department)
21. Travis County Emergency Services District No. 3 (Oak Hill Fire Department)
22. Travis County Emergency Services District No. 5 (Manchaca Fire Department)
23. Travis County Emergency Services District No. 6 (Lake Travis Fire - Rescue)
24. Hays County Emergency Services District No. 9
25. Johnson City Fire Department
26. Round Mountain Volunteer Fire Department
27. York Creek Volunteer Fire Department
Council Committee, Board/Commission Action:
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Alternatives:
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Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of this resolution.