Governor Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 1258 into law Thursday, paving the way for Spokane to develop its own emergency communications system.
The Spokane Regional Emergency Communications (SREC) Board had previously requested to remove the Spokane Fire Department from its regional system. However, the board recently suspended this recommendation to allow mediation between the City of Spokane, Spokane County, and SREC within the coming weeks, the city said in a release.
SREC defended its decision to remove the City of Spokane by saying discussions regarding the cityโs removal had been ongoing for years and that finding a collaborative solution never came to fruition. In a statement today, SREC said they will discuss the future of their partnership June 11, but any changes resulting from these discussions would not be implemented before January 1, 2026.
SREC said it will continue to provide uninterrupted 911 services to partner agencies throughout Spokane County. The organization assures stable funding will be maintained regardless of any future decisions or tax allocations by the City of Spokane, SREC said in its statement.
