Interagency relationships help solidify the infrastructure of small communities
Date Published: Jul 26, 2021
Original Author: John Metzger
Source: FireRescue1.com
Mutual aid agreements hold a very valid place in the daily operations of many fire departments across the country – both in rural and even some urban settings. Some of the common points outlined in this article should ring a bell for every fire department, but here’s a few expanded considerations that may drive home the point that mutual aid should certainly remain “mutual.”
- Mutual aid should be a supplement – a showing of support – not equating to automatic aid … and not always one-sided. It should also not cause you to empty your entire community of its resources for the sake of providing services to another (some states have laws prohibiting this).
- Communications are key … if your neighboring (mutual aid) departments can’t simply change their radio to another zone/bank or channel – if they need an entirely separate radio in order to communicate – then there’s a problem with the system that needs to be addressed before the next call for aid is made.
- If you fight fires mutually, that means you should train mutually!
Comments by Tim Nowak