Moorhead City Council to Consider Joint Fire Department Agreement

The proposed deal would allow Moorhead and West Fargo Rural Fire to share resources at no cost.

Apr. 10, 2026 at 8:55pm

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A photorealistic painting of a solitary fire engine parked on a dimly lit city street, with warm sunlight casting deep shadows across the scene, conveying a sense of quiet contemplation about the role of emergency services in the urban landscape.A shared fire department agreement aims to improve emergency response while reducing costs for neighboring communities.Moorhead Today

The Moorhead City Council will discuss a potential cooperative agreement between the city's fire department and the West Fargo Rural Fire Department. The agreement would allow the two departments to share emergency personnel and equipment at no cost, unless an incident exceeds six hours, at which point specific hourly rates would apply.

Why it matters

This proposed agreement aims to improve emergency response capabilities and resource sharing between the neighboring fire departments, potentially leading to more efficient and cost-effective fire and rescue services for both communities.

The details

The agreement calls for a joint cooperative arrangement for the use of emergency operations personnel and equipment between the Moorhead Fire Department and West Fargo Rural Fire Department. Unless an incident exceeds six hours in duration, there would be no cost to share these resources. After six hours, a rate of $275 per hour would be charged for a staffed fire engine, $200 per hour for a staffed water tender, and $15 per hour per additional firefighter.

  • The Moorhead City Council will discuss the proposed agreement at an upcoming meeting.

The players

Moorhead Fire Department

The fire department serving the city of Moorhead, Minnesota.

West Fargo Rural Fire Department

The fire department serving the rural areas surrounding West Fargo, North Dakota, which borders Moorhead.

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What’s next

If approved, the joint agreement would allow the Moorhead and West Fargo Rural fire departments to begin sharing resources immediately.

The takeaway

This proposed fire department cooperation agreement represents an effort by Moorhead and West Fargo to improve emergency response capabilities and resource sharing across municipal boundaries, potentially leading to more efficient and cost-effective fire and rescue services for both communities.