The Villages Public Safety Department will soon be working closely with Leesburg Fire Rescue in a variety of ways.
That’s because on Monday night Leesburg commissioners gave their blessings to a plan that will solidify a tighter working relationship between the two agencies. The inter-local agreement provides for automatic aid between the two departments for fire and rescue services and training opportunities. It also will establish a working relationship between the two providers and improve service without adding additional costs, according to a memo to the commissioners from Leesburg Fire Chief David Johnson.
Under the agreement, both departments agree to dispatch their respective units – if they are available – on an automatic basis. Both departments also agree that the closest available units will respond to calls – fires, medical emergencies, hazardous conditions, rescue and extrication situations and other types of emergency incidents – regardless of jurisdictional boundaries.
The agreement encourages the development of cooperative procedures and protocols including but not limited to, communications coordination, training, health and safety and other activities that will enhance the ability of the fire departments to fulfill their missions.
Firefighters from The Villages would be afforded opportunities to train at Leesburg Fire Rescue’s training facility, which would fulfill a requirement for The Villages Public Safety Department that could help lower its ISO rating and save money for the residents of Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.
Along those lines, both departments also plan to explore a variety of opportunities for joint training – entry-level, mini-academies, refresher courses and systems.
“By training together and using common procedures, participants have a higher level of confidence in each other,” Johnson said.
Both departments can terminate the agreement by providing a 60-day notice in writing. The agreement doesn’t create a “partnership, joint venture or agency arrangement” between Leesburg and The Villages. And the agreement will be reviewed every five years, the memo says.
The working agreement also stands to benefit the relationship between the two agencies as The Villages eventually builds homes on property it owns in the city. The Villages Developer purchased 1,127 acres along County Road 470 from the city last year and recently added another 1,200 acres nearby. All told, just shy of 9,000 new homes could one day occupy those properties.
If the current structure in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown holds true, The Villages Public Safety Department would provide fire and emergency services protection in those Leesburg areas, much the way it does in the Wildwood, Fruitland Park and Lady Lake sections of the mega-retirement community.
