The names on the fire engines still say ‘Riverdale Fire’ and ‘South Ogden Fire’, but the two departments began operating as one this week.
An interlocal agreement took effect August 1, meaning the operations and costs of the two departments are now combined.
“We’re going to be more effective,” Riverdale Fire Chief Jared Sholly told 2News Friday. Sholly says the combined operations are already saving precious time in emergencies. He says within the first day of combined operations, the agencies were able to handle two calls that would have otherwise required them to call for help from other fire departments in Weber County.
Firefighters can now also shift between the two cities depending on needs. Sholly said:
When we have two smaller departments combined into one, we have possibilities of promotions that we otherwise wouldn’t have.