City and Navy officials are scheduled to renew a partnership between city and federal firefighters when they sign a new agreement Wednesday afternoon.

Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle and Navy Region Hawaii Commander Rear Admiral Frank Ponds will sign a memorandum of understanding that defines and outlines the responsibilities of the Honolulu Fire Department and the Federal Fire Department when dealing with joint operations.

The memorandum renews an existing agreement that allows each department to decide if it can send equipment and personnel to assist the other department when there is a fire or other emergency, and then retain authority and command over their respective resources.

The fire chiefs also are allowed to seek reimbursement for firefighting costs above normal operating costs when delivering services under the agreement.

The new agreement reflects changes in duties on the federal side, specifically the merging of the Hickam Air Force Base fire station with the rest of the Federal Fire Department. That change coincided with the more overarching joining of Hickam Air Force Base with the Pearl Harbor Naval Base to form Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in October 2010.

Glen Delara, chief of the Hawaii Federal Fire Department, said his agency has 14 fire stations and 300 firefighters at military installations on Oahu and Kauai. 

Delara, federal fire chief since 2005, said the relationship between the two fire departments has been the strongest its ever been, noting that he shares a solid relationship with Honolulu Fire Chief Kenneth Silva.