Stuart Fire Rescue wants to extend Martin agreement /end Sewall’s Point.
An agreement between Martin County and the City of Stuart have made a deal to help cut down on the time it takes fire rescue crews to respond to a call. The county and city have tentatively agreed to a 1-year extension on their agreement that allows either fire rescue department to respond to emergency calls, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries.
The agreement has to first be approved by the county and city commissions.
This week the city of Stuart announced that they will no longer provide fire rescue services to Sewall’s Point. This will happen when their current contract runs out in 2020.
Martin County and Stuart entered into the agreement five years ago. The agreement specified the city and county would cover roughly the same number of calls for each other. Then, except for calls in select areas, would do so without charge.
Last May County Administrator Taryn Kryzda said the agreement had become unfair. She said that county taxpayers were shouldering more of the financial burden than were city taxpayers.
Stuart Fire Rescue Chief David Dyal said at the time that ending the agreement could delay response times, particularly for city residents north of the Roosevelt Bridge, where the county has two fire stations and the city has none.
