A Message from City Manager Jessi Bon on Proposals for Regional Fire Services

March 29, 2023

At the upcoming Mercer Island City Council meeting on April 4, my office will recommend to the City Council that the City of Mercer Island formally explore the adoption of a regional fire services model by seeking proposals from the City of Bellevue and Eastside Fire & Rescue to provide fire services on Mercer Island.

Before I explain more about this model, why we are seeking proposals, and what this means for the community, I want to reiterate that any decision to adopt a regional fire service model will not have an adverse impact on our fire department's response time or the safety of our community. Since its inception, the City’s fire staff have done a remarkable job keeping the Mercer Island community safe. The safety and wellbeing of the Mercer Island community is and always has been the top priority for the City and the Mercer Island Fire Department.

Taking that priority seriously means ensuring our public fire and safety operations meet the needs of the community and employ the best practices possible, now and into the future. Calls to the Mercer Island Fire Department today are much different than even a decade ago. Originally created to respond to fire emergencies, today our fire department covers everything from emergency medical services to hazmat services to water rescue and recovery, and much more. These efforts now require collaboration and cooperation among neighboring fire departments to meet these changing needs.

To keep up with demand, most surrounding communities have moved to a regional fire model – this is where a larger, integrated fire agency provides comprehensive fire services across multiple communities. In fact, our Mercer Island Fire Department is one of the few remaining stand-alone fire departments in the region. The move to a regional model would allow the City to offer even stronger fire and emergency medical services to the Mercer Island community, with more cohesion, more consistent leadership, and a deeper bench of resources, specialty services, and growth opportunities than a smaller, standalone department. A regional fire services approach can also provide cost savings to cities due to their larger administrative efficiency and scale, when compared to smaller, independent fire departments.

The goal in pursuing a regional services model for fire and emergency medical services is to enhance services for Mercer Island residents and businesses, reduce costs, and improve resources and opportunities for our firefighters. We are proud of our dedicated fire personnel and owe it to them to ensure they remain an integral part of our community. Being part of a larger agency would mean they have access to expanded resources and equipment, and increased training and career growth opportunities, which enables them to respond to a broad range of emergencies here on Mercer Island.

Upon receiving approval from the City Council at the meeting on April 4, the City will be seeking proposals from the City of Bellevue and Eastside Fire & Rescue – two neighboring agencies that the Mercer Island Fire Department has extensive existing collaboration with. Both agencies have years of experience operating as a regional fire services provider and we expect strong, thoughtful proposals from each agency. During the review, we will consider factors such as benefits to the community, cost-effectiveness, operational efficiency, and resulting service levels. It’s important to note that both Mercer Island Fire Stations (Station 91 and Station 92) will remain open and operational, and any regional provider’s services must meet or exceed today’s fire response standards. Finally, impacts of the transition to regional fire services on City fire personnel will be bargained with Mercer Island IAFF Local 1762.

My office is committed to a productive and transparent evaluation process that will allow residents to review and provide feedback on the proposals. I encourage everyone to review the Let’s Talk page on this topic, which has additional information on what a regional fire services model looks like and the changes we are exploring. You’ll find a FAQ, and ways to submit your comments or questions.

I am confident that exploring a regional fire services model is the right choice for our community.

Thank you,
Jessi Bon
Mercer Island City Manager