Riley County commissioners voted Dec. 4 to consolidate the county fire district, emergency medical services and emergency management into a single Emergency Services department following a multi-month planning process and discussions with staff and the fire advisory board.

David Adams, the county's EMS director, and Russell Stuckey, emergency services director and fire chief, outlined the plan and the transition timeline. Adams said the reorganization would reassign operational fire-chief duties to division chiefs and move administrative EMS responsibilities to a single Emergency Services director role. "This will allow for many advantages ... while still saving the Riley County taxpayers approximately a $120,000 per year," Adams said during the presentation.

Presenters told commissioners the change would not reduce headcount. Rather, responsibilities would be redistributed and a new training officer added to strengthen cross-discipline training and succession planning. Stuckey said existing on-scene command and operational leadership would remain with the departmental chiefs. The presenters proposed a phased transition beginning in January with a target implementation date of Aug. 1, 2026, to allow overlap and training with the current chief before his planned retirement.

Commissioners asked about service continuity and the effect on overnight and operational responses. Adams and Stuckey repeatedly emphasized that operational command structures would remain intact and that the consolidation was designed to increase operational resilience. Several commissioners said they wanted frequent updates during the transition; staff said they would report back with implementation milestones and any adjustments.

The board moved and seconded the measure and approved it by voice vote. Officials said budgets for fire, EMS and emergency management would remain separate under the new structure and that the consolidation focuses on administrative alignment, training, and shared services rather than line staffing cuts.

The commission packet accompanying the proposal included revised job descriptions and a nine-month transition timeline; staff said these documents were drafted with multiple stakeholders and the fire advisory board and would be refined as the transition proceeds.