Jefferson County Fire District No. 1, EMS agency complete merger

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- As of last Friday, Jefferson County Fire District #1 and Jefferson County Emergency Medical Service have officially consolidated into one agency.  The new agency is now called Jefferson County Fire & EMS. 

This merger has been discussed for several years, Fire Chief Jeff Blake noted in his announcement Friday, which continues below:

Through the hard work of community members, fire staff and emergency medical staff, three months ago, an IGA (Intergovernmental Agreement) was completed and signed by each agency’s board.  That IGA became effective Friday morning at 1201 a.m. 

As of Friday, all assets and personnel were reassigned to Jefferson County Fire District #1 and a new name and logo was initiated to celebrate the newly formed organization.  

The agencies have been working out of the same station for a couple of months, but now we are officially one entity. 

"We have made lots of changes, which include 24-hour staffing for fire responses, the addition of a third Advanced Life Support ambulance stationed in the Culver area four days a week and improvement in response times to emergency incidents," Blake said.

The fire chief said the newly formed agency provides better financial efficiencies for both organizations and most importantly an emergency service that work synergistically to provide the best service possible to the citizens of Jefferson County and the surrounding area. 

"As we progress, there will be more new and exciting developments for our community," Blake added.