Since his appointment two months ago, Edwardsville Fire Chief J. Brian Wilson Sr. has encouraged the department's involvement in the National Incident Management System and the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System.
At Tuesday's City Council meeting, the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System ordinance will go before the council for its first reading.
"It allows for a predetermined plan for providing mutual aid," Wilson said. "The incident commander on the scene can request mutual aid without interrupting the firefighting operation itself."
Previously, Wilson said there have been informal agreements with other departments.
During the course of a fire or emergency situation, a department may find it necessary to contact additional departments for aid, whether it is for additional manpower, equipment or stand-by at the department's station.
Each cooperating fire department would tailor an emergency response plan based upon the communities' needs. The plan includes up to five alarms.
Here's how it would work:
The fire scene commander would report to the dispatcher that he had a three-alarm house fire. The dispatcher would then look at the department's plan for such cases and make the necessary calls for assistance.
Also, Wilson noted the agreement would allow cooperating departments to provide extra ambulances for a community in a case where 10 or more people are sick or injured at the same time.
This Mutual Aid Box Alarm System has been widely used in Northern Illinois for the last 30 years.
"It's well tried and proven to be beneficial and highly effective," Wilson said. "It's only been in the last two-three years that this system has gone statewide. The system is being used more widely than ever before."
Currently, only about half of the departments in Madison County are on board with the system, but Wilson would like to see 100 percent cooperation.
The Edwardsville City Council has already adopted the resolution to participate in the National Incident Management System on Wilson's request.
Last February, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security developed the National Incident Management System to create a national policy for how federal, state and local governments interact in a national emergency.
Wilson said this system was created to ensure that federal, state and local officials work together effectively and efficiently in response to an emergency regardless of size, cause or location.
"This system can be used for the smallest or the largest incident," Wilson said. "It is making sure that everyone is on the same page and talking the same language."
During the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Wilson said local, state and federal governments did not always work in coordination.
Fire departments have been using a similar incident management system for years, but Wilson said police and public works departments will receive more training and education about the systems since those departments don't often use this system extensively.
"This will improve overall operation, efficiency and communication," he said. "All of which improves the level of service to our citizens."
Wilson said the federal government feels so strongly about this system, those departments apart of the program will be eligible for federal grants.
