Pensacola, Escambia reach automatic aid accord
krobinson4@pnj.com
City and county borders are now less of an obstacle for Escambia County citizens needing emergency assistance.
Both Escambia County and city of Pensacola officials have agreed to implement an "automatic aid" policy for select areas along the city-county borderline. Put simply, the policy means the closest fire department to a significant emergency will respond regardless of whether the call comes in from the city or county.
The change in policy is a result of incidents over the past several years where citizens had to wait for the "right" agency to respond to their emergency even if another one was closer.
County, city first responders to work better together
The city and county already had a mutual aid agreement in place, but in the past there was a multi-step approval process that had to occur before first responders could go outside their own jurisdiction. Departments could also decline to provide assistance if they believed aiding in another jurisdiction would impact their ability to respond to their own emergencies.
Escambia County Public Safety Director Mike Weaver told county commissioners earlier this month that the old system was time consuming and subjective.
"The problem with this is it applies to all types of requests, regardless of severity," Weaver said. "So it could be a simple dumpster fire or a house with multiple people entrapped."
The automatic aid agreement means that in certain designated areas, the two agencies will automatically help each other in the event of a fire, rescue operation, hazardous materials, a natural disaster or any other circumstance where there is a substantial risk of harm to persons or property.
The areas where the city will automatically aid the county are those where city limits surround a portion of the county, such as the areas around the intersection of Langley Avenue and Ninth Avenue, the intersection of Davis Highway and Brent Lane, and the Interstate 110 overpass of Texar Drive.
The areas where the county will automatically aid the city include the southwestern portion of the city from Bayou Chico to E Street and the northwestern portion of the city west of Ninth Avenue, as well as the small portion of the city north of Interstate 10 around Ninth Avenue.
The Pensacola City Council agreed to the new system in a regular meeting May 12. The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners ratified the new measures in a meeting Thursday.