1. Steve Rauter Assistant Chief Lisle-Woodridge Fire District
“Mutual Aid Box Alarm System and the Comm Center” Case Study: Division 16
Steve Rauter
Assistant Chief
Lisle-Woodridge Fire District

2. MABAS, not Mavis!
A MABAS Beacon….

3. Circa 1852

4. “Strike” vs. “Strike Out”

5. M.A.B.A.S. Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Legacy, history
“The primary purpose of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System is to coordinate the effective and efficient provision of mutual aid during Emergencies, Natural Disasters, and Man-Made Catastrophes.”
Assumption that agency is in MABAS...
= unofficial MABAS information site.

6. TERMS Divisions: (in general) Agency Designator: 4-letters
A geographical, usually contiguous group
Illinois = 1 through 32
Wisconsin = 100’s series
Each Division to have a Primary/Secondary Dispatch Center
Agency Designator: 4-letters
Ex: Downers Grove = DGRV
Ex: Lisle-Woodridge = LIWD
Ex: Naperville = NAPR
Carol Stream = CRST (or is that Crestview?)

7. MABAS 16 Formed Fall 1997 Lisle-Woodridge: Was in Division 12
Responses not usually with Div 12 towns
Many reasons
Downers Grove: Was in Division 10
Western edge of Div 10
Naperville: Was not a MABAS member
Apprehension, understanding, partnerships
Geography, Auto-Aid already in place...
Management, procedure, training similarities

8. When forming (or updating)... Communications Infrastructure
NIFERN (NY-FERN) to become IFERN?
Tones used: 1081 Hz & 701 Hz, (1.25-plus-3?)
Transmit coverage area? (talk out)
Receive (talk in)
Decide if you need (want) portable coverage
Mobile design option (Command Car?)
Interoperability Issues:
Lisle-Woodridge: VHF (150mHz)
Downers Grove: UHF (450mHz)
Naperville: 800mHz Trunked Radio System

9. Dispatch Center(s): Technical feasibility (NIFERN)
Who will be responsible, how notified?
Tones, radio vigil, phones
Who, or what, is the Back-Up?
Full capability, fully supported
“Bug Out” scenarios (and training)
Scripts, SOG’s, written guidelines
Initial dispatch elements (and training)
“Key Words”, common terms, plain English
“May-Day” procedures (and training)
Building evacuation procedures

10. When forming (or updating)… Comm Center
Stricken agency also handle dispatch?
Agreements & procedures for “help”
Hand-Off procedure from stricken agency to dispatch agency
What are YOUR steps……
Logging: CAD or No CAD?
Box Cards: Are they functional for the Comm Center? Do they make sense? Intuitive?

11. MUTUAL AID BOX ALARM CARD
5TH
4TH
3RD
2ND
BOX
SPECIAL
GENERAL
FULL STILL
STILL
SPEC.EQPT
CHIEF
AMB
SQD
TRUCKS
ENGINES
ALARM
5TH
4TH
3RD
2ND
BOX
SPECIAL
GENERAL
FULL STILL
STILL
SPEC.EQPT
CHIEF
AMB
SQD
TRUCKS
ENGINES
ALARM

12. SAMPLE MUTUAL AID BOX ALARM CARD
Box ### here *Description here* Agency Name Here
BOX NUMBER LOCATION TOWN
INTERDIVISIONAL BOX
5th
RSMT
MLPK-A
BENV LNWD
4th
LEYD
NTLK-A
LEYD STPK
3rd
Canteen/956
FRPK
RSMT-S
RVGR PKRG
2nd
SHPK
FRPK-A
ELPK SHPK
BOX
NOPK
NOPK-A
NOPK NOPK NOPK
STILL
SPEC.EQPT
CHIEF
AMB
SQD
TRUCKS
ENGINES
ALARM
CHANGE OF QUARTERS
INTERDIVISIONAL BOX
5th
4th
BENV
3rd
LEYD
2nd
RVGR
BOX
STILL
SPEC.EQPT
CHIEF
AMB
SQD
TRUCKS
ENGINES
ALARM

13. INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM
In order to establish a standardized system of incident command, the MABAS Executive Board has adopted the
National Incident Management System (NIMS)
as the standard operating procedure for all MABAS members.
UNIFIED COMMAND is to be used for WMD or Anti-Terrorism
“Theater of Operations”

14. ACCOUNTABILITY
It is the policy of MABAS to account for the location and safety of all personnel within the
EMERGENCY INCIDENT PERIMETER
Participation by members of any Fire Department in emergency incident mitigation without using the
PASSPORT ACOUNTABILITY SYSTEM
is not authorized by MABAS

15. ENTERING THE MABAS ORGANIZATION
A Governmental Body must pass an ordinance or resolution authorizing the execution of the MABAS Agreement
Signed copies of the agreement and of the resolution/ordinance must be filed with the MABAS Executive Secretary

16. By-Laws
Membership:
Each division shall be represented by one member who shall be designated by their respective Division.

17. Executive Board Officers
Jay Reardon, President
Jerome J. Tonne, Vice President
Ralph Blust, Executive Secretary

18. September 11, 2001
Everything changed...

19. Update of Plan (in a hurry…)
Step 1: Get a copy of the Plan (or at least parts of it that affect you)
Step 2: Get a GLOSSARY!
MABAS is now State-Wide
Centralization of notification of resources (RED Center)
“Hook” to Illinois State Emergency Operating Center (SEOC, I-EMA)
Illinois OH-NO! Illinois Dept of Public Health
Operations Headquarters and Information Office
Update of Division Rosters
New Divisions formed in a hurry…

20. Mutual Aid Response Flow Plan Joint Effort: MABAS
Illinois Fire Chiefs Ass’n
Illinois E.M.A.
-IDPH
-OSFM
-Other State Agencies

21. Beyond MABAS…
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with IEMA, MABAS, IFCA (January 16, 2001)
Local Emergency Operations Plan is short-cut by Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
Know your steps for declarations
Local (City, Village, Town)
County (Where does Fire Protection District fit in?)
State (I-EMA and other state agencies)
Federal (FEMA and other federal agencies)
“Emergency vs. Disaster” Declarations

22. Terrorism & WMD Call-takers Dispatchers Pre-Arrival Instructions?
Measured response vs. “Cavalry”

24. What can the Comm Center do?
Scripts
Build MABAS into routine training
Classroom
MABAS “canned” presentation
Anti-Terrorism Taskforce sessions
Radio Drills & Table-Top Drills
Make it a habit
Use of NIFERN
Critiques of every incident
Attend meetings, get yourself invited...

25. Lisle-Woodridge Fire District
THANK YOU
Steve Rauter
Assistant Chief
Lisle-Woodridge Fire District