According to Fire Chief Kevin Henson, the WVFRA is an intergovernmental agreement allowed for under ORS 190.  Similar agreements are in place throughout the state for sharing the services of water, utilities, sewer, law enforcement and fire
service.

 "The biggest reason to form a Fire and Rescue Authority is to reduce duplication of resources, so that more time and resources can be put towards fighting fires and EMS services," Henson said.  

"We have begun to standardize in multiple areas. From fire prevention, code enforcement, training, fleet & facilities management to how we buy paper clips, we now have the buying power of Fire District 1 and Turner Fire District combined together," Henson said.

According to Henson, both districts' employees are now employees of the fire authority.  
"In July we took every full-time employee for Turner Fire District and Fire District 1 and made them full-time employees of the Willamette Valley Fire and Rescue Authority," Henson said.  

The authority has established a board of directors comprised of representatives from both the Turner and Marion County Fire Department's boards of directors.

"This model allows us to reduce duplicative services. It makes little sense for two neighboring fire districts with the same mission to have separate administrative personnel, processes, policies and procedures.  By eliminating that duplication we can give taxpayers equal or superior service without raising their taxes," Henson said.

For more information about the Willamette Fire and Rescue Authority visit wvfra.com.