Officials: Rumors of rift between Palmer Fire, Borough Fire unfounded

PALMER — Rumors about the future of fire protection for the Greater Palmer Fire Service Area and the rumored fallout between the City of Palmer and the Mat-Su Borough appears to be just that — rumors.

Last week, some Valley social media pages lit up with the announcement that the borough and City of Palmer had not reached an agreement on a contract renewal with Palmer Fire Department to provide coverage to the areas outside the city limits. According to Palmer City Manager Nathan Wallace, that is not the case.

Wallace said representatives from Palmer and the borough met last week to finalize details of this year’s agreement.

Wallace said every few years, city and borough officials sometimes delay renewal of the annual agreement between the two governments, usually because of contract language interpretation. The one-year contract allows for any Palmer Fire Department crew to respond to calls within the GPFSA. In addition to Palmer city limits, the GPFSA includes the surrounding, unincorporated areas of Lazy Mountain, Soapstone, Buffalo Mine, Fishhook, Wolf Lake and Kepler Lake. The entire coverage area incorporates some 72 square miles, according to borough officials.

Area social media pages were rampant early last week with rumors that areas outside of Palmer city limits but still within the existing GPFSA would have to rely on surrounding departments such as Butte and Central Mat-Su. Additionally, talk of a major reduction in PFD firefighter numbers due to locations in which they resided, appears to be also unfounded.

“…The City of Palmer will still have their own department within the city limits, though drastically reduced in numbers and experience as a majority of firefighters and almost all of the officers live outside the city limits…By the rules Butte and Central responders do not live in the (GPFSA) and Palmer responders are not members of either Butte or Central (fire departments),” posts stated. “Those Palmer firefighters that live near the fire stations (outside Palmer city limits)…are not members of Central or Butte (departments and) will not be allowed to respond…”

With the agreement in place, all of those rumors, along with those about homeowner insurance rates increasing due to changes in, or lack of, fire protection are equally untrue, according to officials.

“We have the highest regard for the men and women who serve with the City of Palmer, Fire and Rescue and we value our decades-long relationship,” said Otto Feather, Mat-Su Borough Department of Emergency Services director.

In a post on the borough’s official Facebook page, Borough Manager John Moosey said he was pleased with the progress made on continuing what was termed an important relationship.