OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting - July 7, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, July 7, 2026
BodyWashoe County, Nevada
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, July 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 45:44

Transcript — Verbatim
0:06

Board of fire commissioners to order, please.

0:10

And I only think that it is fitting to have Chief Catring in the House.

0:17

Do the salute to the flag, please.

0:19

Thank you.

0:32

Under God.

0:33

Indivisible with liberty engines.

0:41

Thank you.

0:42

We'll now move to roll call, please.

0:46

Chair Andreola.

0:47

Present.

0:48

Vice Chair Garcia.

0:49

Here.

0:50

Commissioner Hill.

0:51

Here.

0:51

Commissioner Clark is absent.

0:53

Commissioner Herman is by phone.

0:55

Are you there, Commissioner Herman?

0:57

Here, yes.

0:58

Thank you.

0:59

Fire Chief Edwards.

1:00

Here.

1:01

Deputy District Attorney Jen Gustafson.

1:04

Present.

1:05

And I am Yvonne Strickland, Deputy Clerk.

1:07

Madam Chair, you have a quorum.

1:09

Thank you so much.

1:10

We'll move now to public comment.

1:12

Chief Edwards.

1:13

All right.

1:13

Item three is public comment.

1:15

Comment heard under this item will be limited to three minutes per person and may pertain to matters both on and off the board of fire commissioners' agenda.

1:22

However, action may not be taken on any matter raised during this public comment period until the matter is specifically listed on an agenda as an action item.

1:31

The board will also hear public comment during individual action items with comment limited to three minutes per person.

1:38

Comments are to be made to the board of fire commissioners as a whole.

1:43

Monty Turner.

1:58

Monty Turner from Sun Valley.

2:00

I just wanted to uh make a couple comments, but today is not the right place.

2:04

So I'm gonna do it next week.

2:05

I'd rather you guys work with the firefighters instead of me because my stuff is a mood point.

2:10

Ditches from fighting fires and everything else.

2:12

That's what we're going up against.

2:14

You said something last night that really upset a lot of people, a lot of people.

2:18

You're either against you or for you.

2:19

We're all against you.

2:20

Have a great day.

2:23

There's nobody else signed in.

2:25

All right, we're gonna go ahead and close public comment.

2:28

We'll move now to item four, Commissioner and Fire Chiefs announcements.

2:32

Chief Edwards.

2:33

All right, number four is Commissioners Fire Chiefs announcements, requests for information and topics for future agenda agendas.

2:40

Uh this is a non-action item.

2:42

No discussion among commissioners will take place on this item.

2:45

Thank you.

2:46

Do you have any?

2:47

Oh, do you have anything?

2:48

I guess first.

2:49

I mr.

2:50

Well, just to start.

2:52

Um, I really want to acknowledge the hard work of our firefighters across all the divisions on the 4th of July.

3:00

They did an incredible job.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████52%
Procedural████████████████18%
Personnel Matters███████████████17%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████8%
Public Health Awareness████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting - July 7, 2026

The Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District (TMFPD) Board of Fire Commissioners held a regular meeting on July 7, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. The meeting included approval of consent items, a health and wellness presentation, reports from the Fire Chief and union, a financial update, and a resolution honoring Deputy Fire Chief Chris Ketring on his retirement. One member of the public offered critical comments. The board also entered a closed session to discuss labor issues.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 5A: Approved meeting minutes from May 26 and June 2, 2026, unanimously.
  • Item 5B: Approved a revised amendment to the State of Nevada contract for fire fuels and vegetation management, increasing the total not-to-exceed cost by $10,000,000 to $31,616,000, and restated the Fire Chief’s authorization to sign.
  • Item 5C: Approved a revised Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team Agreement among TMFPD, City of Sparks, and City of Reno, removing the shared coordinator position, restating a $16,000 annual contribution from each agency effective July 1, 2026, and extending the term to June 30, 2029.
  • Item 5D: Approved a Right-of-Entry Agreement with Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) for a booster pump station at 470 Foothill Road, along with two easement amendments.
  • Item 5E: Approved cancellation of the regularly scheduled August 4, 2026 meeting.
  • Item 5F: Accepted a donation of one Traeger pellet grill valued at approximately $500.
  • Item 5G: Retroactively approved a 3-year agreement with Ready Rebound, Inc. for managing work-related orthopedic injuries at $49,758.30 per year.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Monty Turner (Sun Valley resident) spoke during the first public comment period. He criticized a statement made by “you” (apparently directed at a commissioner or the board) the previous night, stating “We’re all against you.” He declined to elaborate further, saying today was not the right place and that he would speak next week. No other public comments were offered during the meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Item 6 – Health and Wellness Program Presentation – Dr. Brian Fischer, a licensed physical therapist and strength coach, presented on the program’s second year. He reported treating 84 injuries, 77 unique firefighters, and delivering 132 sessions over the past year. Potential cost savings were estimated at $250,000 from reduced workers’ compensation claims and backfill costs. Two stations (36 and 45) had highest utilization due to privacy; plans to expand to more stations. The board expressed appreciation and interest in future updates.
  • Item 7 – International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2487 Report – Union representatives (Geneva, Vice President; Josh Cutz, Trustee) spoke in tribute to Deputy Chief Chris Ketring on his retirement, highlighting his 28-year career, union advocacy, mentorship, and leadership. They presented a ceremonial statement offering thanks.
  • Item 8 – Fire Chief’s Report – Chief Richard Edwards provided updates:
    • July 4th operations: Over 63 calls for service (20% increase), 12 fire-related, 6 fires, peak between 9 p.m. and midnight.
    • New type one engines arriving later in July, to be in service by September.
    • Fire Station 35 structurally complete, awaiting fiber optic installation and fund transfer for furniture; ribbon cutting expected early fall.
    • Hexagon project “largely back on track” with new proposed deadline.
    • Wildfire season: 706 fires in Great Basin region, burning ~220,000 acres; 135% of national average. TMFPD personnel deployed to Alaska, Utah, Arizona, and Southern Nevada. All TMFPD stations fully staffed.
    • Officer Development School: 8 future fire captain candidates completed 72 hours of training.
    • May 2026 Response Statistics: 1,696 total incidents, 810 medical calls, 71 vehicle accidents, 47 fires. Mutual aid: TMFPD responded to Reno 296 times, Reno to TMFPD 86; TMFPD to Sparks 51, Sparks to TMFPD 32.
    • Fire Prevention Statistics: 118 inspections, over 120 plan reviews, 13 public events, 2 fire investigations.
  • Item 9 – Financial Presentation – CFO Crystal Sublight presented the status of FY 2025-2026 General Fund and Capital Project Funds as of May 31, 2026:
    • Total revenues: 87.5% of budget; property taxes primary source; $9.2 million in consolidated taxes received.
    • Expenditures: $36.9 million in salaries, wages, and benefits (79.5% of annual budget; 63.5% of total annual budget). Year-end accruals pending.
    • Capital Projects Fund: 95.8% expended; $8 million in Apple reimbursements being finalized; Extraordinary Repairs & Maintenance at 9.9%.
    • Next financial report scheduled for September (July 2026 data), then final audit in October/November.
  • Item 10 – Resolution for Deputy Fire Chief Chris Ketring – The board unanimously approved Resolution TM06-2026 expressing appreciation for Deputy Chief Chris Ketring’s 28 years of service, including his role in advancing regional cooperation. Ketring gave a farewell speech thanking the board, chief, and his family. The board and union members offered tributes.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Items: All seven items (5A–5G) approved unanimously by voice vote.
  • Resolution TM06-2026: Approved to recognize Deputy Chief Chris Ketring’s career and retirement.
  • Closed Session: The board held a closed session under NRS 288.220 to discuss labor issues. No action was announced publicly.
  • Meeting Adjourned at 10:46 a.m.

Meeting Transcript

Board of fire commissioners to order, please. And I only think that it is fitting to have Chief Catring in the House. Do the salute to the flag, please. Thank you. Under God. Indivisible with liberty engines. Thank you. We'll now move to roll call, please. Chair Andreola. Present. Vice Chair Garcia. Here. Commissioner Hill. Here. Commissioner Clark is absent. Commissioner Herman is by phone. Are you there, Commissioner Herman? Here, yes. Thank you. Fire Chief Edwards. Here. Deputy District Attorney Jen Gustafson. Present. And I am Yvonne Strickland, Deputy Clerk. Madam Chair, you have a quorum. Thank you so much. We'll move now to public comment. Chief Edwards. All right. Item three is public comment. Comment heard under this item will be limited to three minutes per person and may pertain to matters both on and off the board of fire commissioners' agenda. However, action may not be taken on any matter raised during this public comment period until the matter is specifically listed on an agenda as an action item. The board will also hear public comment during individual action items with comment limited to three minutes per person. Comments are to be made to the board of fire commissioners as a whole. Monty Turner. Monty Turner from Sun Valley. I just wanted to uh make a couple comments, but today is not the right place. So I'm gonna do it next week. I'd rather you guys work with the firefighters instead of me because my stuff is a mood point. Ditches from fighting fires and everything else. That's what we're going up against. You said something last night that really upset a lot of people, a lot of people. You're either against you or for you. We're all against you. Have a great day. There's nobody else signed in. All right, we're gonna go ahead and close public comment. We'll move now to item four, Commissioner and Fire Chiefs announcements. Chief Edwards. All right, number four is Commissioners Fire Chiefs announcements, requests for information and topics for future agenda agendas.

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