The Auburn City Council voted unanimously Nov. 10 to authorize the fire chief to enter into a sub-joint operations agreement (sub-JOA) with the Placer Hills Fire Protection District to share administrative, operational and fire prevention services.

Fire Chief John Rogers told the council that rising costs for personnel and equipment, combined with decreased staffing and growing community expectations, make the sub-JOA a strategy to reduce duplication and stabilize costs. He cited a joint recruitment that produced nearly 200 applicants as an example of efficiencies gained through collaboration. "By collaborating and sharing services, we can achieve economies of scale that stabilize costs and enhance service quality," Rogers said.

Rogers highlighted that the sub-JOA builds on a master JOA approved July 24, 2023, and that the proposed structure would allow both agencies to retain existing chief officers while improving administrative support. He emphasized the arrangement would not include compensation transfers: "I'd like to highlight that right now, we're reimbursing Placer Hills for every hour that we use. Once this sub JOA agreement gets implemented, there's no cost involved, and the other agreement would be terminated," Rogers said.

A representative of the Auburn Firefighters Association (Local 4110) addressed the council and said labor was included in the process and supports the sub-JOA. Council members asked about dispatch authority and metrics to evaluate service improvements; Rogers said mutual and automatic aid processes are already in place and that the command staffs will return with an implementation plan including metrics.

A motion to authorize the fire chief to enter the sub-JOA passed by unanimous roll-call vote.