Automatic / Mutual Aid Responses

Section 2 - EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

PURPOSE:

The stated purpose of the Mutual Aid – Working with External Agencies guideline is to provide mutual assistance to the parties for control of fire, emergency medical services, hazardous materials control, and/or other emergency support in the event of a major fire, disaster or other emergency.

PROCEDURE:

Request for Assistance The Commanding Officer or Incident Commander of the Maitland Fire Department at the scene of an emergency within the boundaries of its geographical jurisdiction is authorized to request assistance from any other party to the Mutual Aid/Inter-local Agreement if confronted with an emergency situation at which there is need for equipment or personnel in excess of that available by the department.

Response to Request

Upon receipt of a request as provided for in Paragraph No. 1 the person(s) receiving the request shall immediately take the following action:

• Determine if the department has equipment and personnel available to respond to the request of the Requesting Party and determine the type of the equipment and number of personnel available.
• Determine what available equipment and what available personnel should be dispatched in accordance with the plans and procedures established by the parties.
• In the event the requested equipment and/or personnel are available, then the Commanding Officer shall authorize dispatch of such equipment and personnel to the scene of the emergency with proper operating instructions.
• In the event the requested equipment and/or personnel are not available, then the Commanding Officer shall immediately advise the Requesting Party of such fact.

Command Responsibility at Emergency Scene

Command at the scene of a mutual aid incident shall be as dictated by the department’s procedures for incident command.

Post Response Responsibility

Upon completion of the rendering of assistance, such assistance and help as is necessary will be given by the parties to locate and return any items of equipment to the fire department owning said equipment.

Pre-Incident Planning

The commanding officers of the agencies to the inter-local agreement may, from time to time, mutually establish pre-incident plans which shall indicate the types of and locations of potential problems areas where emergency assistance may be needed, the type of equipment that should be dispatched under such circumstances, the number of personnel that should be dispatched under such circumstances and the training to be conducted to ensure efficient operations. Such plans shall take into consideration the proper protection by the Responding Party of its own geographical jurisdiction. The parties hereto agree to take such steps as are feasible to standardize equipment such as couplings, hose, and apparatus, so that said equipment can be fully utilized by either of the parties hereto.