DATE: 12/03/2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Fire Department
2025-470
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
FIRE DEPARTMENT MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF ANAHEIM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Both the Corona and Anaheim Fire Departments recognize that a mutual aid agreement for fire protection and emergency services provides significant benefit to each agency. In certain situations, resources must respond beyond their own jurisdictional boundaries and into the neighboring agency’s service area. Establishing this agreement will strengthen and clarify the terms and conditions for providing such support, ultimately enhancing service levels and operational effectiveness in both jurisdictions.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Approve the Mutual Aid Agreement (Agreement) between the City of Corona and the City of Anaheim.
b. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Mutual Aid Agreement between City of Corona and the City of Anaheim.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Corona Anaheim Fire Departments have responded to emergency calls along the eastbound State Route 91 for decades under the State of California's Master Mutual Aid Agreement, which allows them to cross into each other's jurisdictions. This Agreement will enable a more timely response from mutual aid resources between the two cities during emergencies by predefining the use of similar resources to expedite mutual aid approvals.
ANALYSIS:
This Agreement clearly defines the benefits of mutual aid responses between jurisdictions, outlines communication plans, establishes jurisdictional authority, enhances interagency coordination, and reduces expenses by eliminating duplicate responses to the same emergency incidents. It provides rapid and cost-effective access to each jurisdiction's resources during emergencies. The Agreement also specifies financial and administrative provisions, including cost recovery for incidents, dispatch services, insurance and indemnification requirements. By formalizing these collaborative procedures, the Agreement strengthens interagency coordination, eliminates duplicative responses, and ensures rapid, cost-effective access to fire and emergency resources across both jurisdictions.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with the approval of the recommended actions as this is a no cost agreement.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action merely approves an agreement, and there is no possibility that approving the recommended action will have a significant effect on the environment.
PREPARED BY: JUSTIN MCGOUGH, DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF
REVIEWED BY: BRIAN YOUNG, FIRE CHIEF
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Mutual Aid Agreement between the City of Corona and the City of Anaheim