Rod Smith, the Elkhorn Area Fire District’s chief, and MABAS division president, seated behind his desk looking over the MABAS call book listing each fire company and their resources within the Division 103 Walworth county jurisdiction.

Any backyard handyman will tell you that the old axiom, “The right tool for the right job at the right time,” saves wasted effort, and the use of words not found in the Holy Writ.

It becomes an even more critical application when fire and emergency medical crews respond to a site call only to find the situation has escalated to requiring additional assistance.

Ron Hoehne, the Fox Lake Fire Protection District’s chief, followed in the footsteps of his father, the late Stu Hoehne, and has served in the position since 2001. Hoehne has overseen more personnel being placed in specific roles for emergency response under the guidance of accredited institutions.

The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System supplies that format, and the means, for obtaining supplemental personnel and equipment on an immediate basis, an orderly hierarchy tiered on local, county, state, and inter-state first responder companies bound together by agreements and resources in hazardous circumstances. The organization, despite being crucial to effectiveness, is virtually unknown to the public.

“It’s a critical resource, when you’re isolated to one area during an emergency or catastrophic situation like a tornado, or a flood, where response time with appropriate equipment is needed,’ said Rick Gallas, the Richmond Fire Protection District’s chief. “For instance, a house fire … the dynamics of a house structure have changed in the last decade from a construction standpoint, so crews will get beat up at a site fighting a blaze.

“Additional crews that are called in through the box alarm can spell those personnel. MABAS is well-documented regarding its merit. I’ve been a firefighter for 21 years, and chief here for half that time, the call box system was in place before I started. McHenry County is Division 5, meaning it was the fifth district to come on board.”

With MABAS, areas in their jurisdiction are delineated by box codes for location and coverage, and requests can be made on emergency calls. As laid out, the box code sheets show a chi-square grid box with several levels based on various departments and their equipment.

Fox Lake Station House #2, with its flag lowered to half-mast in honor of police officer Lt. Joe Gliniewicz, killed in the line of duty Sept. 1.

As the call goes in, the dispatch center reviews the box sheets and will contact a specific department to request assistance to an emergency site or location.

Each fire department has its own page in the master call book, which can lead down to a seven-alarm code.

“The third alarm immediately brings contact with a regional coordinator for potential escalation issues at the site,” said Elkhorn, Wis. Area Fire District Chief Rod Smith. “The coordinator assesses the situation, so the on-site incident command can concentrate on the operations end, and not hunt for other resources.

“Back in the day, you’d call another department and strip their resources leaving them unprotected. With MABAS, you call for specific equipment and personnel. The rule of thumb is 80 percent in the home company, and 20 percent for mutual aid. That way, no one is short-handed.”

Smith also doubles as the president for the Walworth county division of MABAS. “We’re Division 103, with Kenosha and Racine counties taking the first two numbers, Wisconsin started numbering at 100,” he said. “In this southeast division, the dispatching comes out of the Walworth county sheriff’s department. They handle those chores because they have the cards for each department, listing their resources.”

An example of specialized response is water search or rescue, and nearby Fox Lake is at the top of the response list, with its highly regarded diving rescue team. Their resources have grown over the years to include state-of-the-art apparatus and a van for mobile capabilities. The department also has hazardous materials response, below ground rescue, and wild land firefighters.

“The Fox Lake Fire Protection District was formed in 1938 to take in the unincorporated areas surrounding the village including the rural areas,” said Ron Hoehne, the district’s Fire Chief. “Each of the support services have requirements for accreditation through advanced training, and simulations, and our personnel constantly improve themselves by attending the classes and being tested on their skills and knowledge.

“Our coverage area goes from the Wisconsin border to the north, to Route 120 at the south end.”

Gallas explained, “The object is to get resources to the site as soon as possible. We get calls for proximal areas like Bloomfield, Linn, Wheatland, Randall, Silver Lake, and other (border) townships to supply additional help since the MABAS call box is based on the inter-state agreement between Illinois and Wisconsin.

“Our auto-response calls would normally bring in (Illinois) companies like Hebron, Spring Grove, Wonder Lake, and Mc Henry for extra manpower to a particular site. The MABAS box calls to Wisconsin areas have proven to offer excellent response for mutual assistance, as intended.”

The resulting MABAS network holds a key to future protection and response with safety being a major consideration, according to Smith.

“The more fire companies that join MABAS, the more efficient the groupings will become. Having the right piece of equipment in place, when needed, also builds confidence in our own abilities to navigate a hazardous scene.

“So far, there are 56 divisions out of 72 statewide counties, with each county possibly being a division, although there are some consolidations,” he said. “The goal is 100 percent enrollment, and we’re moving forward as a work in progress.”

–Richmond Fire District provides border asset for MABAS system–