ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. (Feb. 14, 2013) -- Training conducted by the Rock Island Arsenal Fire Department Feb. 14, in Bldg 299, ensures standardization and stability for hazardous materials response in the Quad City area.
"RIAFD is unique, it has one of the better HAZMAT units in the state of Illinois," said Dave Liske, Mutual Aid Box Alarm Systems 43 coordinator and a deputy chief of RIAFD.
HAZMAT response was established at the RIAFD in 1979. All the local cities used the team until the four MABAS were founded. The state of Illinois used terrorism task force dollars to form the units statewide in 2003. MABAS purchased HAZMAT equipment and pushed it to the different fire departments to maintain and train.
"This allows the RIAFD to train with the local fire departments, preparing them to help us respond and not just responding for them," said Liske.
Local fire departments have an obligation under MABAS to respond to different incidents in the surrounding communities, when requested.
"Many fire departments specialize in certain areas such as HAZMAT, technical rescue, water accidents, drowning and watercraft emergencies," said Liske. "RIAFD has better HAZMAT equipment but the local fire departments have better resources and expertise in different areas such as boats, every department is able to showcase their best skills."
At this time, local fire departments have trained HAZMAT technicians, who are able to conduct their own entries, setup and control of the incident.
"It really helps us out, because a HAZMAT incident takes a lot of people to run," said Robert Andersen, MABAS 43 training coordinator. "This capability has been used in the last couple years."
MABAS headquarters is known as the Red Center. The center is located in Wheeling, Ill., near Chicago, and consists of the director, staff, logistics and operations. Regional steering committees are designed to decide what issues should be focused on and equipment to purchase for different areas.
MABAS can be deployed to other states and regions. Twenty man teams with different specializations have been established to respond to deployment requests. Teams are organized as task forces and can be deployed for local, state and federal incidents.
"These teams are predetermined and staffed; on call to be anywhere in the state within 48 hours and anywhere in the United States in 72 hours," said Liske.
When MABAS is activated, local authorities have to determine which units to mobilize.
"This is especially helpful if the incident is longer than a few hours," said Andersen. "If it stretches into a couple of days, MABAS assets will provide extra personnel to ensure mistakes are not made and fatigue is not an issue. The assets help, supplement, and allow us to pull units as needed. It is pretty awesome and very well done on how the state set up this organization. It feels good to be able to help the rest of the state and country."
"RIAFD does a validation period every two years for the state and the National Guard based Civil Support Teams are invited to come assist and train," said Liske. "The CSTs also send their service members to attend HAZMAT technician training at the Arsenal.
"The nice thing about being a federal entity is that the local cities have benefited immensely by our training in HAZMAT," said Liske. "We have been doing it longer and have better training in some aspects. The cities are beginning to catch up with the quality of their training and some of our training."
"The training conducted today was with HAZMAT personnel protection equipment known as Level B suits," said Andersen. "There is one level of protection higher than Level B. The 32 Level B suits we trained on today were provided by TACOM-Life Cycle Management Command, but MABAS division and the state of Illinois, based on our recommendations are purchasing the same type of Level B suit statewide. These suits last longer, 10 years, and are safer and more durable for the hazardous conditions the technicians work. Federal dollars provided the majority of the suits, but state dollars are also supporting their purchase. Everybody plays a part and it all eventually comes together."
"This is causing a push for standardization statewide with MABAS as one of the driving forces," said Liske. "This means the same equipment, tactics and training. Before, every team did things their own way, but now we are trying to make everything one."
"Standardization is good, it means you can help anywhere," said Andersen. "Across the country, military facilities normally have mutual aid agreements with their surrounding communities, most can have an opportunity to work with federal entities."
"The suits we have here today, all the federal installations have these kinds of suits," said Liske. "If we were called to Fort McCoy, Wis., then we would know they have the same equipment waiting for us."
"If we had an incident here, I could get another full shipment of all my current equipment from TACOM-LCMC within 72 hours," Liske said. "This concept is similar to the military prepositioning stockpiles around the world. MABAS has prepositioned trucks with specialized equipment. When the trucks are requested, they are available for transport by UPS anywhere in the U.S. within 72 hours. It is a good concept and we mirrored the federal concept, like the Federal Emergency Management Agency teams and other groups like that."
"Work together now and not later, we have learned those lessons," said Andersen. "You can go through the history of incidents, like Fort Hood found out during their tragedy, when something happens, it is a bad time to find out you need to know your neighbors. We want to work to get together for the common goal of public safety and to work through a situation or issue from the top to bottom before we have an incident."
Monthly training rotates between HAZMAT, technical rescue (including structure collapse, confined space, high angle rescue, water and trench rescue) and fire training.
"We have a fire training facility on Arsenal Island," said Liske.
The facility allows firefighters to build fires to hone and maintain their skills in a controlled environment.
"We set a fire in the building and invite the local fire departments to come fight the fire together and to learn each other's tactics," said Liske. "Rapid intervention teams are for firefighter safety, they go in, right away, when a firefighter goes down."
The MABAS 43 consists of RIAFD, Rock Island Fire, Moline Fire, East Moline Fire, Bettendorf Fire and the Quad Cities International Airport fire departments. Each fire department has a fire team mutual-aid company and another fire department that it supports if necessary. For example, for Rock Island and Bettendorf fire departments, RIAFD serves as their RIT.
"This is why we train RIT, to streamline and standardize our systems," said Andersen. "Everyone has the same equipment and does the same things."
"We often schedule specialized training here; a command and general staff class will be coming here to train," said Liske. "This ensures we can get all parties on the same page. We are trying to tie in everyone from the Emergency Operations Center to the lowest firefighter, Kathy Miller, director of plans, training, mobilization and security, is also planning to attend."
"We want all the players together and be able to work together before an incident happens," said Andersen. "Mayors, police chiefs, dispatchers and others, need be involved from wherever you draw your resources."
"If during a technical rescue we need to shore up a building, we have agreements in place to get the wood and other supplies from local retailers," said Liske. "We already have predetermined supply requests, we call and it is ready for delivery."
"Eventually, we would like to work with the commands to have HAZMAT technicians across Arsenal Island," said Liske. "Each EOC were separate entities before, but now they are slowly coming together, talking and drawing everyone together."
"In a perfect world, we would put together all the commands -- Joint Munitions Command, Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center, First Army, Army Sustainment Command and the Rock Island Arsenal Garrison in one room, so we can tell them all the information they need and want to know at the same time," said Andersen. "Each commander and mayor wants to know, what is going on, how they are going to manage and control their population and people. You have to start at the top and keep everyone informed and solve the problem."
"The MABAS 43 HAZMAT was originated in 2003," Liske said. "Originally, there were supposed to be 56 teams, but due to attrition and lack of funding, they have been reduced. Now the teams will be assigned regionally. The next closest team is MABAS 39 HAZMAT with Coal Valley and Blackhawk Fire in Mercer County, Ill."
The truck is the baseline unit of the fire department, each station and vehicle are numbered for ease of identification. This assists the requesting units identify, which vehicles are en route and their type … RIAFD is station 41.
"We want to work and come together on different issues including money funding, it all works better, together," said Andersen. "We have done it with something as simple as exporting our fitness program and having the same entrance physical for firefighters, locally."
Liske said, "Educating people is half the battle. Everything flows smoothly; you do not have those little bumps in the road."
"Working together is the key," said Andersen. "If you can get everybody working together and everyone talking to each other wow… amazing things happen."
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