With the westbound U.S. 54/63 bridge over the Missouri River in Jefferson City set to begin closing April 15, the Jefferson City Fire Department is looking to ensure all areas of the city see no delay in response time in an emergency.
At the Public Safety Committee meeting Thursday, Fire Chief Matt Schofield presented a resolution endorsing an automatic aid agreement to allow different agencies to respond simultaneously to emergencies in North Jefferson City during the four-month period of the bridge closure.
The bridge will be closed for painting and repairs for about four months and is tentatively scheduled to reopen Aug. 12.
Westbound bridge traffic will be diverted to the eastbound bridge, which will be restriped to carry two lanes of eastbound and two lanes of westbound traffic. Speed limits will be reduced on and near the bridge.
Schofield said the department has been in discussions with the Holts Summit Fire Protection District, though no formal agreement has been approved by either city yet. Schofield specified there is no financial commitment or obligation with the agreement, just the goal of preventing any disruption to the expectation of service and response time.
He said the automatic aid agreement is different from the department's existing mutual aid agreements with other cities in that mutual aid agreements provide for another agency to respond when called. In the automatic aid agreement, the partner agency responds immediately, without being specifically called by the Jefferson City Fire Department.
The committee unanimously approved the agreement, which will go to the full City Council for review.