PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A new partnership between two Hampton Roads cities could help you get emergency help faster.
Leaders in Chesapeake and Portsmouth just started the Automatic Aid Program, which will make it easier for first responders to cross city lines and help people in need.
Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover said it's a move to save lives and homes.
“The thing that we treasure most are our lives and the things we work hard to acquire, and what this does is helps all of those things,” he said.
Leaders said the automatic aid program will help reduce response times for people who have an emergency.
Portsmouth and Chesapeake have shared resources for years to cover bordering responses from Cavalier Industrial Park, Camelot, Brentwood, Cradock, Cavalier Manor, Hodges Manor, Bowers Hill, Chesapeake Square area and High Street West corridors. The cities will now begin the automatic aid program.
Chesapeake Fire Chief Ed Elliott said places on the Chesapeake/Portsmouth border will receive a response from teams in both cities.
“The best way to understand automatic aid is to take a map of Hampton Roads and take an eraser and erase all the city boundary lines out. From that point on, we just dispatch to wherever the emergency is regardless of the city,” Elliott said.
The program has already been rolled out in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Suffolk. Portsmouth is the final link.
Portsmouth Fire Chief Nestor Mangubat said his team was ready to help anyone who called for them.
"Our motto is 'Focus on the community,'" he explained. "Any time that we can offer a better service, a quicker service and just meet our goal for life safety is exciting."
During a time where many fire departments are dealing with staffing issues, Glover said the automatic aid program will help.
"This creates another layer of security," he said. "In spite of staffing challenges all of the municipalities have, we have decided to work together collaboratively to meet those needs.”
Leaders said over the past year, Portsmouth and Chesapeake firefighters have practiced live fire training together and will be ready for the automatic aid program.