Three area fire agencies will begin operating under a new “boundary drop” response model on May 1, 2026, an arrangement officials say will cut response times by sending the closest unit to emergencies regardless of jurisdiction.

• The Niceville Fire Department, in coordination with the East Niceville Fire District and the Valparaiso Fire Department, will implement the change across all three jurisdictions.

Under the boundary drop model, the closest agency responds to emergencies between all participating agencies. Previously, independent agencies responded to incidents within their respective jurisdictions, which in some cases did not allow for the closest unit to respond, according to the announcement.

The agencies used GIS analysis to determine the closest primary unit to each location, and that unit will be dispatched regardless of jurisdiction. The change will mainly affect EMS calls and other single fire engine responses. Fires and other large incidents have already been handled through multi-jurisdictional responses from the closest available agencies.

In some cases, 911 callers may see units arrive up to three to four minutes earlier under the new model. Residents in both incorporated and unincorporated areas of Niceville, as well as in Valparaiso, may begin to see units from neighboring jurisdictions responding to emergencies after the change takes effect.

Niceville Fire Department Chief Alex Kukulus emphasized the importance of the collaboration between the three departments.

“We appreciate the growing relationship between the three fire departments,” Kukulus said. “The ability to collaborate, train together and respond with the closest unit puts the community first. When people call 911, they don’t care about the color of the truck or the patch on the firefighter’s shoulder. They just care that a well-trained professional arrives as quickly as possible to care for their loved one or to handle their emergency. This takes us one step closer to that goal and begins to find more efficiencies amongst our agencies.”

Officials said the arrangement is intended to speed up response times and provide a more effective response to citizens within the three jurisdictions.