Lack of automatic aid agreement compounds grief for Reno family one year after deadly fire

RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — "I remember smoke and I remember just how fast everything happened."

It was October of 2023. Flames engulfed a two story home on Teramo Court in Damonte Ranch in the early morning hours while the Barbee family slept.

The parents awoke to their worst nightmare.

"What really sticks in my mind is the moment during the fire when I couldn't get to the boys," said David Barbee.

"And feeling overcome by smoke and and feeling utterly defeated."

The fire claimed the lives of the couple's two teenage boys. Davis was a senior at Damonte Ranch High School. His brother Travis was a student at Depaoli Middle School.

Investigators never determined what caused the fire, only that it started in the garage and spread quickly.

But we have learned by sorting through copies of the dispatch records that a Truckee Meadows fire station that's only a few miles from the scene was not part of the initial response. That's because Reno Fire did not ask for their help early on.

Truckee Meadows Fire Station 33 is located on Foothill Road. It would have been an eight minute drive to the fire according to county fire officials.

Station 33 was called 39 minutes after the fact. By that time they were headed to another call and could not respond to the house fire.

Reno Fire Chief Dave Cochran tells News 4 the city had plenty of its own resources available that night and didn't need the county's help early on.

But this incident is a clear reminder that with city and county fire crews operating independently as they do now, and without an automatic aid agreement, the closest units don't always respond first. That's because without automatic aid, dispatch is based on city and county boundaries and not who is closest to the scene.

Even in a life and death situation.

David Barbee says it troubles him to learn that a nearby fire station wasn't called immediately.

"My personal experience with the fire is that every second counted and every moment was critical," he said. "I think in a situation where seconds are critical you throw everything at it."

It's an issue both sides promised to fix two years ago when we found there was a delayed response to a crash at the Great Clips Salon in south Reno because of the lack of automatic aid.

"We recognize that that's a problem, the county recognizes that's a problem and we're going to address that," John McNamara with the Reno Fire Department told News 4 in 2022.

But there's still no agreement.

There's no way of knowing whether one more crew would have made a difference the night of the Teramo fire.

But for David and Emma Barbee, wondering if it could have doesn't make things any easier.

"It certainly leaves a question in my mind," David said.

The Barbee's are focused now on moving forward. They are doing their best to live productive lives.

Emma Barbee says their sons, Davis and Travis are in their thoughts every step of the way.

"I know they're in heaven right now just looking at us," she said. "If we're sad they'll be sad. If I'm happy they're happy too."

The Barbees say they are grateful for the firefighters who responded and did their best to try to save their son's lives.

But automatic aid continues to be a sensitive issue. Neither the Reno nor the Truckee Meadows Fire Chief was willing to speak on camera for his story.

We've been told talks are continuing behind the scenes to try and hammer out an agreement that would provide for automatic aid between the two agencies. We'll let you know when there's anything new to report.