Photo By Ana Henderson | For several months, the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) Garrison has been...... read more read more
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For several months, the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) Garrison has been exploring possible agreements with local government agencies that will lower costs for both parties.
The mechanism is called an Intergovernmental Support Agreement (IGSA), and it has been in use within the Department of the Army since first piloted in 1998.
Federal law codifying its use has been on the books for a decade, and today Department of the Army-wide there are well over 100 formalized IGSAs. At Fort Riley, Kansas, for instance, the garrison and a local government share a contract to acquire salt and sand to treat icy roads in the winter, and the garrison allows both to be stored in a disused building on post.
“The efficiencies that get created doing it together means a little lower price for both partners,” said Ken Musselwhite, YPG Garrison Manger.
IGSAs between YPG and local governments may be coming in the years ahead. Following months of talks with city officials, Musselwhite made a presentation explaining the IGSA process at a public working meeting of the Yuma City Council earlier this month.
“The ones that are taking traction the most are things along the lines of our emergency support,” said Ben Rix, YPG Plans, Analysis, and Integration Office Chief. “As far as the City of Yuma goes, the ones we are really focusing will affect the fire department.”
Specifically, Army officials believe acquiring new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and other personal protective equipment for fire fighters on the same contract would save money for both entities and also serve to ensure interoperability of the equipment when each department supports each other at conflagrations as part of existing memorandums of understanding.
“If any systems of theirs go down we could be a backup, and vice-versa,” said Rix.
There is also the possibility that things like hose and ladder testing could be included on a contract together in the future for additional savings. Looking further out, YPG could benefit from things like being included on a government agency’s elevator inspection contract: given the minimal number of elevators on post, finding a contractor willing to make the long trip here is onerous. In the same vein, sharing contracts for things like routine water quality inspections may also be an opportunity for cost savings.
Though optimistic about the various possibilities for future agreements, YPG Garrison officials have adopted a wait-and-see approach until the potential first IGSA for SCBAs is adopted and has an established track record.
“Let’s see how it works,” suggested Musselwhite. “If the City of Yuma is happy and we’re happy and it works great, we can look for other opportunities together in the future.”
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2023 14:36 |
| Story ID: | 451903 |
| Location: | YUMA PROVING GROUND, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 71 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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