Reno and Sparks to pilot shared fire chief model, council approves one‑year ILA

Reno City Council voted unanimously July 29 to approve an interlocal agreement with the City of Sparks to pilot a shared fire chief model. Under the one‑year agreement, Reno Fire Chief Dave Cochran will serve as the chief accountable to both city managers, while each department remains operationally separate.

The agreement requires Sparks to reimburse Reno for 25% of the chief’s salary and any agreed shared administrative costs. The cities will conduct quarterly reviews and the agreement includes an opt‑out clause allowing either city to withdraw with 180 days' notice. Council members said the pilot is intended to improve operational coordination during large incidents, strengthen special‑team coverage and allow joint planning for peak demand and wildfire response.

Chief Cochran and both city managers told the council the pilot is not intended to cut frontline staffing. Cochran said the role focuses on unified leadership, incident support and resource management while day‑to‑day operations remain under division chiefs. Members of the Fire command staff from both jurisdictions attended and described collaborative training and shared resources already in place.

Council members pressed for protections including retaining local governance for major policy decisions, clear reporting to city managers and protections for negotiated labor agreements. The council also asked staff to provide regular written updates and to return to the councils if significant changes are proposed. The council’s action authorizes the chief, city managers and mayors to finalize documents required to implement the pilot.