The recent explosion that leveled a Long Grove home did more than stir up
late-night conversations with neighbors or flood 9-1-1 with calls.
It served as a
wake-up call. It seems as though events
like that happen elsewhere as we watch media reports and think that it can’t
happen here.
It can and it did.
The Long Grove blast
was not in some low-end housing development -- we’re talking Royal Melbourne
where homes generally run from $1 million on up.
Media reports say the
explosion, which damaged as many as 30 homes, was apparently caused by a
natural gas leak. There were no reports
of serious injuries or fatalities.
Despite the
destruction and damage, the incident did prove that systems for handling such
situations worked. Despite some
complaints, the response by 9-1-1 operators worked, even though not the way
people thought it would. Some people
seem to think that emergency calls in the village are handled by members of
Buffalo Grove’s police or fire departments.
 |
Fire Chief Terry Vavra
(Photo courtesy Village of Buffalo Grove) |
They’re not. Buffalo Grove is one of 11 area municipalities
that are dispatched by the Northwest Central Dispatch System, which handles
emergency calls for a dozen communities.
The system offers a variety of services, including some for
residents. You can learn about the
system at
http://www.nwcds.org/. The night
of the Long Grove blast, it was hit, according to media reports, with more than
1,200 calls from area residents. No
dispatch center can handle that load.
That, however, is the unique thing about the Northwest Central Dispatch
System. When its inundated, calls bounce
to other dispatch systems to ensure that a call can be answered and help
dispatched – which is what happened the night of the Long Grove blast.
As soon as the explosion
hit, sending shock waves through a wide area, people seem to do one of four
things: 1.) Call 9-1-1, 2.) Go outside and talk to neighbors, 3.) go on social media or 4.) Drive up to the
site to see what was happening. Options one, two and three are probably the
most logical.
Beyond nearby
municipalities, the blast appeared to be felt to the southwest. Buffalo Grove Fire Chief Terry Vavra
speculates that geography may have played a role because of the home’s
foundation which had a substantial portion facing the southwest.
In Buffalo Grove,
the flood of calls sent the fire department to respond to a call stemming from
the explosion. Despite the initial
uncertainty of the incident, Vavra said the plan for major emergency events
worked as expected.
Vavra notes that
Buffalo Grove is part of MABAS – the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System – that
consists of 550 fire departments in Illinois. The departments, notes Vavra, are
split into a number of divisions so departments with reasonable proximity can
work together. Buffalo Grove is in
Illinois MABAS Region that is essentially Lake County.
The MABAS program,
which got its start after the Chicago Fire in 1871, is a “Standard single
mutual aid agreement,” Vavra says. In
essence, he says it provides a predetermination as to how departments will
respond to a specific type of emergency.
“We know based on how the cards developed how we will respond and with
which pieces of equipment and personnel,” Vavra says. The cards, known as “run cards”, are the same
for every MABAS member so when there is an incident that requires mutual aid,
each department knows what kind support it will get or provide.
The program, Vavra
says, is national in scope and goes beyond local fired emergencies. He says the consortium of the more than 550
fire departments in Illinois offers agencies the opportunity for enhanced
purchasing power, especially for grant-based purchasing. Vavra says organizations that provide grants
see that their support extends beyond a local department.
Vavra also notes
that MABAS members do more than fight fires. “After (hurricane) Katrina, the
governor of Louisiana reached out to other states, including Illinois, and,
Vavra says, in a day-and-a-half, more than 300 fire fighters were in Louisiana
to help.
The same held true
this past November after tornadoes ravaged parts of central Illinois. Vavra said departments Region 4 assisted by
manning fire stations in the stricken area.
He said the region sent a couple of engines, a truck, and ambulance
along with personnel. Despite the
severity of the situation, Vavra says it went well because there a
pre-established plan.
“This (Long Grove
explosion) was not the first time this has happened,” Vavra says, adding that
after every major mutual aid call, the region looks at how the process
works. In addition to the reviews,
ongoing interdepartmental training is part of the regiment so the program
remains effective.
Which make sense
because what has made headlines elsewhere, can happen locally.
