Hazardous Materials Incident Response

With recent incidents throughout the United States that have received significant coverage in the media, residents are starting to ask about Hazardous Materials, shortened to HAZ-MAT, that may be manufactured, stored, and/or transported through McHenry County;

In the event of a HAZ-MAT incident, the local Fire Department/District is first on the scene. Resources available to that Fire Jurisdiction are probably not sufficient for any large-scale problem. 

McHenry County Fire Districts/Departments are all part of MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System). This is a statewide mutual aid system for Fire, EMS (Emergency Medical Services), and very Specialized Response Teams, an example being a response to HAZ-MAT (Hazardous Materials) incidents.

This system defines a resource response plan. It is customized by each of our Fire Districts/Departments based on the unique needs and incident possibilities within that jurisdiction or within the entire county. This system allows a fire responder to say a few words to dispatch and a list of resources are automatically called out. This includes more Fire trucks and engines, EMS (ambulances), Technicians, additional Chiefs, and special equipment which includes:

• An array of vehicles and their contents specifically designed to aid during a  HAZ-MAT incident.
• Light towers
• Large fully functional command and control vehicles
• Food, Water, and Rehab for responders such as the Salvation Army Canteen

For McHenry County, responses are planned to call from as many as 30 additional jurisdictions, some as far away as Zion, Pleasant Prairie (yes Wisconsin!), Buffalo Grove, etc. As needed, dispatchers can contact their equivalents in all surrounding counties to request their own MABAS resources.

Additional MABAS Illinois info can be found at https://www.mabas-il.org/about/

FEMA, as part of their Ready program, has additional information at this link:   https://www.ready.gov/hazmat/ 

One of the most important preparedness steps is to have ability to receive important lifesaving alerts and other emergency  information no matter where you are - at home, at school, or at work. Below is a list of some of the ways you can receive this information. Take a moment RIGHT NOW and sign up for services that fit your needs and verify that you have a NOAA All-Hazard Radio and WEA capable phone.

Stay Informed Handout

Service	What is it?	How do I get it?
NOAA All-Hazard Radio (formerly known as Weather Radio)	The most reliable source for comprehensive weather and other emergency information, including natural, environmental, and public safety. All-Hazard Radio receiver is a very inexpensive and the single preparedness item that every household should have, make sure to add one to your kit today!	Available at your local retail store (Walgreens, CVS, Wal-Mart etc…)
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)	Federally sponsored alerting service that sends a specially formatted message directly to your smartphone. Smartphone that is capable of receiving these alerts will simply work, there is no registration required. Make sure that your phone is WEA capable!	More information: http://www.fema.gov
NIXLE	Free community alerting service via text and email. Almost all communities and many individual agencies in McHenry County use NIXLE to issue emergency alerts as well as important non-emergency messages. Sign up now!	http://www.nixle.com/
Text Alerts	National Weather Service maintains list of providers that can send out severe weather and other emergency alerts via text. Most of the services listed are free, so make sure that you stay informed when on the go!	http://www.weather.gov/subscribe
Mobile Apps	Apps from FEMA, Red Cross, WeatherBug, AccuWeather and many others can provide you with emergency information on your Android and iOS devices. While convenient, an APP SHOULD NOT BE YOUR SINGLE SOURCE for emergency information. Apps require data network to operate and in time of emergency data networks will become congested or fail completely, causing delays in alert delivery at the time when every second counts.	Visit the app store on your mobile device