Consideration of a Regional Fire Services Model

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On January 1, 2024, Eastside Fire & Rescue began as Mercer Island’s provider of fire and emergency medical services. This project page has been archived and is no longer being monitored. Please contact Eastside Fire & Rescue at 425-313-3200 or info@esf-r.org with questions.

Mercer Island Fire Department Station 91


In 2023, the Mercer Island City Council approved an interlocal agreement with Eastside Fire & Rescue (EF&R) to provide fire and emergency medical services on Mercer Island. 

Eastside Fire & Rescue began providing Mercer Island’s fire and emergency medical services on January 1, 2024. 

While this is an official transition for the City and fire personnel behind the scenes, Islanders can expect the same level of service. Both Mercer Island Fire Stations (Station 91 and Station 92) will remain open and operational.

Continue reading for historical information about the process, project timeline, frequently asked questions, and more. Please note, this page is no longer active. 


What's being proposed:

The City Manager recommended to the City Council that the City explore the adoption of a regional fire services model - this is where a larger fire agency provides comprehensive fire services across multiple communities. In this scenario, Mercer Island would be served by a larger, regional fire agency instead of the City operating its own, smaller department. Mercer Island fire personnel would transition to the regional fire agency and both Island fire stations would remain open.

The purpose of adopting a regional fire service model is to maintain or enhance current levels of service while balancing the shared responsibility for long-term, cost-effective fire and emergency medical service delivery. A regional fire services 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. Read the City Manager's letter to the community below to learn more about this recommendation.

The City’s fire department has done a remarkable job keeping the Mercer Island community safe. The City is proud of our dedicated fire staff and wants to ensure they remain an integral part of our community through a fire services model that provides the greatest support, training, and professional development opportunities.

What this means for the Island:

The safety and wellbeing of Mercer Island residents is and always has been the top priority for the City of Mercer Island. Taking that priority seriously means ensuring that public fire and safety operations meet the needs of the community now and into the future while employing the best practices possible.

Calls to the Mercer Island Fire Department today are much different than even a few decades ago. Originally created to specifically address fire emergencies, the fire department today covers emergency medical services, hazmat services, special rescue, water rescue and recovery services, mobile integrated health, and more. Adopting a regional fire service model for all fire services would embed the expertise and resources of a larger, integrated fire agency directly within the Mercer Island community. Under a regional model, the City of Mercer Island would continue to control service levels for fire services provided on Mercer Island and both fire stations would remain open, meeting or exceeding current services levels.

What's being done:

City Council will review the City Manager's recommendation at the April 4 regular meeting. With City Council approval, the City Manager will seek proposals from the City of Bellevue and Eastside Fire & Rescue to provide fire and emergency services on Mercer Island. Proposals received will be reviewed by the City Manager's Office and presented to Council for further discussion and consideration. Council will then provide direction on selecting a proposal and entering into an agreement with that agency for regional fire services.



Engage with us here on Let's Talk to learn more about this proposed change and view Frequently Asked Questions in the FAQ section.



In 2023, the Mercer Island City Council approved an interlocal agreement with Eastside Fire & Rescue (EF&R) to provide fire and emergency medical services on Mercer Island. 

Eastside Fire & Rescue began providing Mercer Island’s fire and emergency medical services on January 1, 2024. 

While this is an official transition for the City and fire personnel behind the scenes, Islanders can expect the same level of service. Both Mercer Island Fire Stations (Station 91 and Station 92) will remain open and operational.

Continue reading for historical information about the process, project timeline, frequently asked questions, and more. Please note, this page is no longer active. 


What's being proposed:

The City Manager recommended to the City Council that the City explore the adoption of a regional fire services model - this is where a larger fire agency provides comprehensive fire services across multiple communities. In this scenario, Mercer Island would be served by a larger, regional fire agency instead of the City operating its own, smaller department. Mercer Island fire personnel would transition to the regional fire agency and both Island fire stations would remain open.

The purpose of adopting a regional fire service model is to maintain or enhance current levels of service while balancing the shared responsibility for long-term, cost-effective fire and emergency medical service delivery. A regional fire services 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. Read the City Manager's letter to the community below to learn more about this recommendation.

The City’s fire department has done a remarkable job keeping the Mercer Island community safe. The City is proud of our dedicated fire staff and wants to ensure they remain an integral part of our community through a fire services model that provides the greatest support, training, and professional development opportunities.

What this means for the Island:

The safety and wellbeing of Mercer Island residents is and always has been the top priority for the City of Mercer Island. Taking that priority seriously means ensuring that public fire and safety operations meet the needs of the community now and into the future while employing the best practices possible.

Calls to the Mercer Island Fire Department today are much different than even a few decades ago. Originally created to specifically address fire emergencies, the fire department today covers emergency medical services, hazmat services, special rescue, water rescue and recovery services, mobile integrated health, and more. Adopting a regional fire service model for all fire services would embed the expertise and resources of a larger, integrated fire agency directly within the Mercer Island community. Under a regional model, the City of Mercer Island would continue to control service levels for fire services provided on Mercer Island and both fire stations would remain open, meeting or exceeding current services levels.

What's being done:

City Council will review the City Manager's recommendation at the April 4 regular meeting. With City Council approval, the City Manager will seek proposals from the City of Bellevue and Eastside Fire & Rescue to provide fire and emergency services on Mercer Island. Proposals received will be reviewed by the City Manager's Office and presented to Council for further discussion and consideration. Council will then provide direction on selecting a proposal and entering into an agreement with that agency for regional fire services.



Engage with us here on Let's Talk to learn more about this proposed change and view Frequently Asked Questions in the FAQ section.


On January 1, 2024, Eastside Fire & Rescue began as Mercer Island’s provider of fire and emergency medical services. This project page has been archived and is no longer being monitored. Please contact Eastside Fire & Rescue at 425-313-3200 or info@esf-r.org with questions.

  • Council Presentation Materials Now Available

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    The April 4 City Council meeting recording, meeting materials, and the presentation to Council are now available under the Links section here on Let's Talk.

  • Council Approves Seeking Regional Fire Service Proposals

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    At Tuesday's regular meeting, City Council authorized and directed City Manager Jessi Bon to seek proposals from the City of Bellevue and Eastside Fire and Rescue for a regional fire services model - this is where a single, larger fire agency provides comprehensive fire services across multiple communities. In this scenario, Mercer Island would be served by a larger, regional fire agency instead of the City operating its own, smaller department. Mercer Island fire personnel would transition to the regional fire agency and both Island fire stations would remain open.

    Council's authorization formally begins the process to explore this option, with the Request for Proposal issued by the City today, April 5. Proposals from the regional fire agencies are due on May 3 - once received, they will be thoroughly reviewed by City staff and by City Council before a decision to move forward with the process is made. You can review the Request for Proposal document online.

    Learn more about this process and why a regional fire services model is being considered by reviewing the frequently asked questions and letter from City Manager Bon here on Let’s Talk.

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

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    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