Mutual and Automatic Aid Staffing

Purpose

This Mutual and Automatic Aid Staffing Guideline is created to establish specific engine company staffing levels, appropriate response (code) levels, and response time guidelines for all District personnel responding to a call for Mutual or Automatic Aid.

Scope

This order shall apply to all District personnel responding to a request for Mutual or Automatic Aid by neighboring jurisdictions. All personnel shall operate within the guidelines set forth in the “procedures” section of this order.

Responsibility

It shall be the responsibility of all District personnel to know and understand the Guidelines for Mutual and Automatic Aid Staffing, how to determine appropriate code responses, the time frames for responding, and the procedures for obtaining and distributing information essential to the request.

Procedure

All District personnel shall use the following procedures to determine the District's ability to appropriately respond to a request for Mutual or Automatic Aid by a neighboring jurisdiction.

  1. Response to a Station:
    1. All responding personnel shall respond to the appropriate station for the call out as outlined in the Mutual and Automatic Aid Agreements.
    2. All personnel shall respond to the station within the guidelines set forth in the POV Response Guideline adopted by the Fire District.
  2. Response to Mutual Aid:
    1. All response (travel) to agencies requesting Mutual Aid response shall be
      considered "non-emergency" code one (1) response unless a specific request is made by the requesting agency.
    2. District personnel shall, whenever possible, respond on District apparatus and refrain from driving their private vehicles.
  3. Response to Automatic Aid:
    1. Response to Automatic Aid requests shall be determined on a "call by call basis" based on the level of the “emergency” to which you are responding.
    2. "Emergency" or "Code Three" (code 3) responses to Automatic Aid
      requests shall comply with the guidelines set forth in the Emergency Response Guideline adopted by the Fire District.
  4. Apparatus Staffing:
    1. An Engine Company shall respond to a request for Mutual or Automatic Aid with a full complement of three (3) qualified interior firefighters to include an Officer, an Engineer, and a firefighter.
    2. A Rescue may respond to a request for Mutual or Automatic Aid with a complement of two qualified first responders.
  5. Response time:
    1. Personnel responding to a request for Mutual Aid shall remain in the Station at least twelve (12) minutes for a complement of responders. If a full complement of personnel does not arrive, the company should notify the Duty Officer and advise them adequate staffing is not available. The Duty Officer shall notify dispatch that the fire district is unable to respond to the request.
    2. Personnel responding to a request for Automatic Aid shall respond as soon as the minimum staffing requirement outlined in the "staffing" section of this Guideline has been satisfied.