(A) Any officer in command of any company of the Fire Department who shall suffer the engines or other fire apparatus that is the property of the city to be taken beyond the limits of the city without the permission of the Mayor or member of the Fire Department in charge, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.
(B) The following are incidents in which the Fire Department may operate beyond the limits of the city.
(1) Mutual aid. In an emergency, the Fire Department may operate beyond the limits of the city to lend assistance across jurisdictional boundaries. This may occur due to an emergency response that exceeds local resources, such as a disaster or a multiple-alarm fire. Mutual aid may be provided ad hoc, requested only when such an emergency occurs. It may also be a formal standing agreement for cooperative emergency management on a continuing basis, such as ensuring that resources are dispatched from the nearest fire department, regardless of which side of the jurisdictional boundary the incident is on through automatic aid agreements. When either party becomes affected by, or is under imminent threat of, an emergency or disaster and has officially declared an emergency, it may request emergency-related mutual aid assistance through an authorized representative by submitting a written request, or an oral request followed as soon as practicable by written confirmation, to the other party. Recipient shall not request assistance unless resources available within the stricken area are deemed inadequate. Requests for assistance must be transmitted by an authorized representative of Fire Department requesting assistance.
(2) Memorandums of understanding. The Fire Department may operate beyond the limits of the city to lend assistance across jurisdictional boundaries if a prior memorandum of understanding (M.O.U.) has been negotiated by the Mayor and approved by the City Council to provide fire protection for specific areas outside the limits of the city. Examples may include the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Park, Montana State Prison or Rock Creek Cattle Company.
(3) Contracted agreement for fire service. The Fire Department may operate beyond the limits of the city if a contract agreement for fire service has been negotiated by the Mayor and approved by the City Council to provide complete fire protection for a specific fire district outside the limits of the city for a negotiated financial payment to the city. Examples may include the Rural Fire District contract.
(4) Interdepartmental aid. The Fire Department may operate beyond the limits of the city in support of other local emergency response agencies in the on-going fulfillment of the duties of those departments or agencies with the permission of the Mayor and the confirmation of the City Council.
(Prior Code, § 2.20.070) (Ord. 1, passed 1-17-1980; Ord. 2019-6, passed 8-19-2019)