I couldn’t be prouder of the dedicated service, professionalism, and expertise of all 30 of our Maplewood Fire/EMS professionals. As a city council, we have made a significant investment in training, equipment and facilities for our fire and emergency medical services, who are all full-time. They are led by a superior team who always has them ready and prepared to respond. They are proactive in community risk reduction, and work closely with vulnerable communities to help prevent critical incident calls.

That’s why I was so disturbed by the St. Paul fire chief’s remarks last week in a Pioneer Press article, “Rethinking suburban fire coverage.” Chief Butch Inks wants to pull out of a successful automatic aid response program, saying St. Paul is carrying too much of the load.

This program has recently been recognized with a Local Government Innovation Award by the Humphrey School of Public Policy. It has yielded positive benefits for all parties involved— which include the Ramsey County communities with fire departments. It ensures that the closest unit, regardless of jurisdiction, is dispatched first in calls for structure fires, cardiac arrests and water emergencies.

In the article, Chief Inks cites inaccurate, anecdotal information in making his case for pulling out of the agreement.

To set the record straight, Maplewood crews arrived to the basement fire he mentioned two and a half minutes after St. Paul’s arrival, not five, with a four-person engine company, not two.

Maplewood has responded to St. Paul 33 times (23 medical and 10 fire responses). St. Paul fire has responded to Maplewood 26 times (19 medical and 7 fire responses).

Frankly, it’s appalling to have our department’s stellar reputation put into question with misleading assertions to create the false perception of a delayed or inadequate emergency response. To further assure our community, Maplewood’s police department is also cross-trained to provide emergency medical care if they are the first on scene at any incident.

I question the timeline of the St. Paul Fire Department’s decision. The desire to pull out of the agreement was mentioned to the Ramsey County Chiefs Association, yet there was no follow-up meeting scheduled.

Suddenly, a letter arrived saying St. Paul was out.

We felt abandoned by our partner with no real warning or ability to find a workable remedy for their concerns.

In the spirit of Minnesota-style cooperation, I’d like to thank the St. Paul City Council for their Wednesday vote to delay withdrawing from the agreement and their willingness to see if there is a workable solution to their fire department’s concerns. As a region, we’ll always be stronger and more efficient public servants when we’re working collaboratively.

Marylee Abrams is the mayor of Maplewood.