By FireRescue1 Staff
SPOKANE, Wash. — Two people are alive thanks to a new agreement between fire departments that says the closest crew will respond to an incident regardless of jurisdiction.
KREM reported that a mother and daughter were hit in a Costco parking lot, and the mother was pinned beneath the vehicle. The Spokane Fire Department said the automatic aid program saved their lives.
The automatic aid program has the closest crew respond, no matter what jurisdiction the incident is in. The crash was in the jurisdiction of Spokane City Fire, but Fire District 8 and 9 were closer.
“They respond just within minutes and take action. If we would’ve had to wait for our closest unit because of the busyness of our system, at that exact point in time, there would’ve been a delay,” Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said.
Fire officials said that although the automatic aid program has been in place for a few years, they are just now seeing major benefits. Chief Schaeffer said eight lives have been saved in one week because of the program.