Fox Valley Fire Departments Announces Regional Partnership

FOX VALLEY FIRE DEPARTMENTS ANNOUNCES REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP

Temporary Agreement Allows Neighboring Fire Agencies to Share Resources Seamlessly During Pandemic

KAUKAUNA, WI (April 1st, 2020) – In preparation for the increased demands on Fox Valley emergency response resources as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, a proactive partnership has been formed between the Town of Grand Chute Fire Department, City of Appleton Fire Department, City of Kaukauna Fire Department, Village of Fox Crossing Fire Department, Neenah-Menasha Fire Rescue, and the City of Oshkosh Fire Department. This collaborative agreement will allow for more flexibility in the sharing of personnel and resources in order to most effectively meet the needs of our regional community during these unprecedented times. The cooperating fire departments are taking this action in accordance with the State of Wisconsin’s emergency declaration.

This agreement differs from other mutual and automatic aid agreements already in place between many of the participating agencies in that it allows for completely borderless sharing of resources in a time where nearly every emergency response and healthcare system could be quickly overwhelmed. The long history of collaboration and cooperation between these fire departments and their respective chiefs facilitated the rapid and unopposed formation of this regional response agreement between these municipalities. 

While resources will be shared for the duration of this agreement, which will be determined by the length of this emergency declaration, each department will maintain autonomous control of their daily operations. Drawing on his nearly 35 years of experience in fire and emergency services as well as regional ambulance system administration, Grand Chute Fire Chief Tim Bantes was selected by the participating communities to serve as the regional coordinator for this agreement. In this role, Chief Bantes will provide global administrative and operational input to participating agencies to ensure that the citizens of the Fox Valley continue to receive the high level of service that they are accustomed to.

Official press release here.