HARRY R. CARTER, Ph.D., MIFireE

If there is one topic that keeps recycling to the top of our research in-basket it is the matter of mutual aid. We have been writing about the sharing of resources for a great many years. The more that I write about it, the more astounded I am at the negative comments I receive about it.

Back in February, I posted a commentary on my web site - The Top Ten Reasons People Give That Regionalization Won't Work In Their Area. The list came as a result of a research request among a number of my professional associates. As you can see, the list is as complex as it is simple:

• Where do you think you are, in California? Phoenix?
• The people of our city pay their taxes for good fire protection, how can we dilute the protection with people from another town?
• What if we go to a big fire and our tools get all mixed up with their tools?
• This regionalization thing smacks of consolidation, and that is always bad. It will increase our liability and cost us money
• We already have a mutual aid plan. We can call help when we need it.
• That type of stuff works in hokey little fire departments. We’re too big for that.
• We never drill with those people. They don’t know how we work.
• The next thing you’ll want is a central communications site.
• We’ve never done it that way. This was far and away the top response collected by Harry’s Gang members who responded to my call for help on this topic. Of all the idiotic answers to any modern change situation, this one is the worst. Let us suppose that someone stood up in Philadelphia in 1776 and said, "… revolution, we’ve never done it that way. What will the crown think? Had that view prevailed, we would probably still be talking with an English lilt to our voices. This list of situations where someone stood up to say this dumb statement is legendary.
• For a complete review of this article, you may wish to visit the archive section of my web site. Go to www.HarryCarter.com and click on Carter’s Archives and see the February 24th commentary.

Needless to say, we received a wide variety of comments on our words of wisdom. Most took us at our word and understood what we attempted to do; that is to stimulate discussion on a worthy topic. We have been and will continue to be a strong proponent of regional automatic aid fire and EMS deployment systems that are built around a strong central communications system. This makes sense, because none of us is strong enough to do it all ourselves.

The most interesting response to our commentary came from a Fire Chief in the mid-western area of the U.S., who shall, because of the sheer inanity of his remarks, remain nameless. He was actually mad at me for listing the Top Ten Reasons People Give Against Regionalization. He indicated to me that he was a newly appointed chief, and was totally against the automatic aid program that he found upon arriving in his newly – adopted community.

His opposition was based upon his findings that his community was sending help more out than it was bringing in. He said that he was going to do away with it, because it was not beneficial for him. As a matter of fact he seemed really mad than I had armed his people with knowledge.

My research indicates that this Neanderthal man was about to disrupt an existing automatic aid agreement of many years standing. My research also indicated that he was brought in from another area of the Midwest where automatic aid is frowned on. Maybe I am dumb, but I just do not see how anyone outside of our very largest cities can deliver an effective service without some form of automatic aid.

Just to let you know that these things can be done, I have received information from a number of readers about how well regional dispatch is working in their areas. We have had replies from New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, Michigan and Wisconsin. In each case there was an initial implementation period where many of the problems above had to be worked through. But they were surmounted, and the present state of affairs is much better, and the future much brighter.

A recent posting on the Cornell Fire-L line stirred up the pot a bit more. How many of you are aware of the National Response Plan? It is a program designed for those disastrous incidents whose requirements challenge the strongest amongst us.

A search of the FEMA web site led me to a downloadable version of the entire document. Being a fire guy, I made my way to the area that deals with fire.

A review of the fire annex to the document indicates that a great deal of help may be made available. In effect, there is a national mutual aid program, if you know who and how to ask. I would imagine that most people outside of the Emergency Management or Forest and Wildfire worlds are not aware of its existence.

Another Internet posting drew my attention to the Georgia Mutual Aid Group (GMAG). The Georgia Mutual Aid Group provides for the systematic organization, mobilization, and operation of Fire-Rescue resources from throughout the State of Georgia. A trip to their web site provided me with some very interesting facts.

Organized in 1994 in the Metro Atlanta area, the groups main purpose is to assist local agencies in mitigating the effects of natural and man made disasters. GMAG had broken the Metro Area into 3 geographic areas covering 10 counties and 57 cities. Departments were grouped together in "branches" by their location on the major Interstate highways that crisscross the Atlanta area.

Out of the original 15 departments, the organization has grown to 24 and is no longer a Metro Area Organization. Departments in the Savannah region have recently joined the team and are establishing a GMAG presence in the eastern part of the state. These members have committed resources in support of the continuing progression and operation of the organization. The greatest growth has been since the successful operation during the Florida Wildfire Campaign of 1998. In that effort, GMAG was in contact and coordinated with departments and agencies statewide while deploying manpower and equipment.

Planning committees made up of the member organizations have developed procedures that can be used in day to day operations, or for unusual events. Other efforts of the organization allow for reporting the status of all units, allowing for rapid notification, and providing staging areas for forward deployment of resources. When an area appears to be over extending it's resources, GMAG can mobilize "Strike Teams" and "Task Forces" directly into the scene or to a staging area for future deployment. By deploying resources from different geographic locations, neighboring jurisdictions are not "stripped" trying to provide support under local mutual aid agreements. Member and Non-Member departments in the state receive the full support of GMAG when requested.

The GMAG is currently constructing a state of the art Operations Center on the site of it's headquarters located in the Georgia Firefighter's Burn Foundation building on Chantilly Drive in Atlanta. This center will allow GMAG to maintain a 24hr notification and coordination point for any emergency requests and provide communications and logistical support to deployed forces.

Another excellent example of on-going automatic aid on a regional basis is located in Pinellas County, Florida. During a recent training session for the Largo Fire Rescue Department, I was introduced to the Pinellas County system. Most response assignments are comprised of units from more than one fire department. The Incident Commander is determined by the county response agreement.

Chief E. Caroll Williams of Largo is a strong proponent of the system. During our visit, we attended a response where the companies on the response came from four different communities. This allows for an adequate response without stripping the resources of any one community. And specialized units such as the hazardous materials response team are a joint-venture among five of the county’s communities. The key to success involves shared resources.

I would like to close with a very uplifting story from a good friend who lives in Massachusetts. As some of you may know, a recent serious fire in Massachusetts killed a number of people. However the lives of other people were saved by the actions of a mutual aid ladder company that was responding on an automatic cover assignment.

As they passed near the burning building on the opposite side of a dual-lane highway, the officer on the ladder noted the extent of the inferno, and using his own initiative, managed to get turned around an rolled in on the fire. This unit managed to rescue a total of 25 people from the four-story building. When the evacuation for the building was sounded, this unit was on the fourth floor performing CPR on a civilian. The ladder had to be repositioned twice to make all of the rescues.

My final statement is simple. Initiative of the company officer aside, who would have made the rescues if they hadn’t been passing by at the time. They were put into a life saving position, by the foresight of those people who created the automatic deployment program in that area. I would much rather explain that type of good situation.

While I was jotting down the notes for this article, my volunteer fire department pager was activated. We were called to be part of a mutual aid response to an extremely serious residential fire. It took the combined efforts of three fire departments to limit the spread of this wind driven blaze. However, because of our frequent interactions, and our on-call and automatic agreements, we are used to working together.

Having said all of this, I must sadly note that many parts of our great country are no closer to an acceptable means of operating on a regional basis. They stand in the midst of their town squares, thumping mightily on their chests and proclaiming to such as will listen, that they can do it all themselves. Shame on them.

The commentary in this column does not necessarily reflect those of Firehouse.Com, Firehouse Magazine, their employees or parent company Cygnus Business Media. Harry R. Carter, Ph.D., MIFireE, is an internationally known municipal fire protection consultant and contributing editor to Firehouse Magazine. He recently retired as a Battalion Commander with the Newark, New Jersey Fire Department. His commentary appears regularly on Firehouse.Com. For more commentary and information, visit Carter's web site at www.harrycarter.com Harry has published several books available for online ordering, including Firefighting Strategy and Tactics and Management in the Fire Service