South Ogden and Riverdale Fire departments begin combined operations

The names on the fire engines still say ‘Riverdale Fire’ and ‘South Ogden Fire’, but the two departments began operating as one this week.

An interlocal agreement took effect August 1, meaning the operations and costs of the two departments are now combined.

“We’re going to be more effective,” Riverdale Fire Chief Jared Sholly told 2News Friday.

South Ogden and Riverdale Fire departments begin combined operations. (Photo: KUTV)

 

Sholly says the combined operations are already saving precious time in emergencies. He says within the first day of combined operations, the agencies were able to handle two calls that would have otherwise required them to call for help from other fire departments in Weber County.

Firefighters can now also shift between the two cities depending on needs. Sholly said:

When we have two smaller departments combined into one, we have possibilities of promotions that we otherwise wouldn’t have.

Despite their joint operation, each city will maintain its own fire department and adjustments can be made to the agreement in the future.

A third city – Washington Terrace – was considering joining the interlocal fire agreement but ultimately decided not to because of projected costs.

South Ogden and Riverdale Fire departments begin combined operations. (Photo: KUTV)

 

“For us to come in, we would have had the highest tax increase of the whole group,” Washington Terrace city manager Tom Hanson told 2News. “That’s not to say that the two cities are not making a good decision, because they very well are.”

Washington Terrace currently operates a volunteer department. Hanson said joining the interlocal fire agreement would have required them to become a full-time agency.

“Once we leave the volunteer fire department system, we cannot go back,” Hanson said.

South Ogden and Riverdale Fire departments begin combined operations. (Photo: KUTV)

 

Washington Terrace still has the option to join the interlocal agreement in the future, but Hanson said the city needs to ‘tighten its own ship’ before combining.

“I made it really clear to them, the door is not shut - it’s open, we want to look at options we want to continue to keep those options available,” Hanson said.

For now, South Ogden and Riverdale will operate jointly for one year, at which time they will revisit the interlocal agreement.

“After that year, we can determine how much farther out we want to push this interlocal and how much more we want to join together,” Sholly said.