MONROE - The Monroe Public Safety Committee Monday night voted unanimously to recommend to the City Council to approve and accept a Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) agreement.
An original agreement process was begun in 2003, but was not finished and used until July 2007. However, it needed to be updated to reflect statutes as adopted by the states.
In existence since the late 1960s, MABAS is a mutual aid organization of firefighters and emergency rescue squads from over 1,600 departments in six states. Each stands ready to respond to calls for help in emergencies when a local fire department, Emergency Medical Service or special operations are overtaxed or are committed to an incident for an extended period. All MABAS agencies connect on a common radio frequency, Interagency Fire Emergency Radio Network (IFERN).
Monroe Fire Chief Daryl Rausch said with MABAS, the Monroe Fire Department has an unlimited resource that can be "brought to bear" in an emergency situation.
Anytime another fire department is called in, it is under the MABAS agreement. The agreement replaces the previous contracts between services within the county, and allows departments to legally cross state lines, Rausch said.
Fire departments from Illinois have been called in a number of times, he said, although Monroe has not been called to cross the state line yet.
Since July 2007, Monroe has been called about six times to help other departments in Green and Lafayette counties, and has called for help from other departments about six times, Rausch said.
According to the MABAS Web site, "Without a formal written mutual aid agreement (such as MABAS), a request for mutual aid assistance becomes a voluntary act, putting the Fire Chief and his employing community, who might send the resource, at great risk should equipment be damaged, or if a firefighter is injured or killed in the line of duty."
In other business, the committee:
• Discussed restricting parking along the west side of the 800 block of 13th Avenue. Police Chief Fred Kelley said he had communication with management of Churchill Woods apartment complex, asking for a no parking zone, approximately 271 feet along its property. The heavy amount of snow this winter prompted the request.
Alderman Jan Lefevre asked the Committee to consider making the restriction seasonal.
City Administrator Mark Vahlsing suggested the committee consider short-term parking spaces for drop-offs and deliveries.
Committee members asked for input from the Liberty Baptist Church that sits at the corner of Ninth Street and 13th Avenue, to see how the restriction would effect its parking needs.
The issue will be taken up again at the next meeting.
• Recommended to Council to approve a special event for Green County March of Dimes.
An original agreement process was begun in 2003, but was not finished and used until July 2007. However, it needed to be updated to reflect statutes as adopted by the states.
In existence since the late 1960s, MABAS is a mutual aid organization of firefighters and emergency rescue squads from over 1,600 departments in six states. Each stands ready to respond to calls for help in emergencies when a local fire department, Emergency Medical Service or special operations are overtaxed or are committed to an incident for an extended period. All MABAS agencies connect on a common radio frequency, Interagency Fire Emergency Radio Network (IFERN).
Monroe Fire Chief Daryl Rausch said with MABAS, the Monroe Fire Department has an unlimited resource that can be "brought to bear" in an emergency situation.
Anytime another fire department is called in, it is under the MABAS agreement. The agreement replaces the previous contracts between services within the county, and allows departments to legally cross state lines, Rausch said.
Fire departments from Illinois have been called in a number of times, he said, although Monroe has not been called to cross the state line yet.
Since July 2007, Monroe has been called about six times to help other departments in Green and Lafayette counties, and has called for help from other departments about six times, Rausch said.
According to the MABAS Web site, "Without a formal written mutual aid agreement (such as MABAS), a request for mutual aid assistance becomes a voluntary act, putting the Fire Chief and his employing community, who might send the resource, at great risk should equipment be damaged, or if a firefighter is injured or killed in the line of duty."
In other business, the committee:
• Discussed restricting parking along the west side of the 800 block of 13th Avenue. Police Chief Fred Kelley said he had communication with management of Churchill Woods apartment complex, asking for a no parking zone, approximately 271 feet along its property. The heavy amount of snow this winter prompted the request.
Alderman Jan Lefevre asked the Committee to consider making the restriction seasonal.
City Administrator Mark Vahlsing suggested the committee consider short-term parking spaces for drop-offs and deliveries.
Committee members asked for input from the Liberty Baptist Church that sits at the corner of Ninth Street and 13th Avenue, to see how the restriction would effect its parking needs.
The issue will be taken up again at the next meeting.
• Recommended to Council to approve a special event for Green County March of Dimes.