Eugene and Springfield Move Toward Separate Fire and EMS Departments
Eugene has formally begun the process of moving away from its shared fire and emergency medical services structure with Springfield, but the June 30 notice does not represent an immediate break in emergency response.
Eugene City Manager Jenny Haruyama sent Springfield formal notice under the cities’ 2010 intergovernmental agreement. The cities announced July 2 that Eugene Springfield Fire will transition toward two independent Eugene and Springfield fire and EMS departments.
The transition is expected to take up to two years. A detailed plan will be developed by staff and presented to both city councils, while staffing assignments, management structures, operating details, budgets and other implementation decisions remain unsettled.
What changes and what does not
Under the direction announced by the cities, Eugene and Springfield would each govern, fund and plan their own fire and EMS services. Officials said that approach would let each city direct investments and long-term planning toward its own infrastructure needs and service priorities instead of creating a new shared governmental entity.
The cities also said emergency response will continue during the transition. Residents should continue to call 911 normally. Officials said automatic aid between Eugene and Springfield, mutual-aid agreements for major incidents and wildfires, and broader regional cooperation will remain in place.
Those are statements of intended service continuity while the organizational work proceeds. The eventual effects on staffing, management, operations and future investments will depend on decisions that have not yet been made.
Why the cities are changing course
Eugene and Springfield have operated Eugene Springfield Fire as a functionally consolidated department since 2010. City officials said the partnership has provided strong service, but the two cities now face different infrastructure needs, resource constraints and long-term priorities.
The cities also said they do not want to direct limited public funds toward the startup costs and administrative overhead of creating a new shared governmental entity. Instead, they said, separate departments would allow each city to invest directly in firefighters, equipment and fire stations.
Haruyama’s June 30 notice described the filing as a procedural step required to preserve Eugene’s options. The agreement requires either city to provide notice “two full fiscal years” before termination, with both cities’ fiscal years running from July 1 through June 30. The notice therefore begins a planning and transition process rather than shutting down the shared emergency response system immediately.
The City of Eugene said there is no tax increase associated with the announcement. Future budget decisions and the costs of implementing separate departments remain unresolved.
What remains unsettled
The cities have not yet finalized the transition roadmap, staffing assignments, management structure, operating procedures or department budgets. Those decisions are expected to be addressed as the joint planning process moves forward.
The final plan will also need to explain how the two departments will maintain coordinated response across the Eugene-Springfield area while continuing automatic aid and mutual-aid agreements with one another and neighboring agencies.
Background and next steps
The AP Triton governance feasibility study released in 2024 examined several possible paths for Eugene Springfield Fire, including continuing the existing arrangement with changes, creating an intergovernmental entity, forming a fire district and dissolving the functional merger. The study’s recommended intergovernmental-entity model preceded the cities’ decision to pursue separate departments instead.
Chief Mike Caven is expected to lead the joint planning effort with staff from both cities. The cities say the resulting plan will go to the Eugene and Springfield city councils for review.
For Eugene residents, the immediate practical message is unchanged: call 911 for emergencies. City officials say emergency response, automatic aid, mutual aid and regional cooperation will continue while Eugene and Springfield work through the next phase of fire and EMS governance.
Sources
- City of Eugene transition announcement
- Eugene-Springfield Intergovernmental Agreement termination notice
- KLCC report on the fire department split
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