Local fire departments highlight use of mutual aid system

MINOCQUA – Several local fire departments shared information on how they worked together on a recent Northwoods fire call.

When the Minocqua Fire and Rescue Department was dispatched to a large structure-related incident on the western side of their coverage area on Sunday, March 2, they requested assistance by utilizing the mutual aid box alarm system (MABAS), a mutual aid measure that may be used for deploying fire, rescue and emergency medical services personnel in a multi-jurisdictional and/or multi-agency response.

As a result, the Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department was requested to relocate an engine and crew of four members to Minocqua Fire Station #1 to cover any other calls in the area while the Minocqua units were occupied.

“We settled right in, checked out their map of water fill sites (just in case), and hung around until they came home,” the Nokomis department said on their Facebook page. “While we were gone, the Little Rice Fire Department was on standby at their station in case there were any calls in the southwest part of the county, including Nokomis.”

Members of Little Rice Fire Department also assisted on the scene of the Minocqua-area call, joining units from Woodruff, Lake Tomahawk, Lac du Flambeau, Pike Lake, Newbold, St. Germain, Hazelhurst and Arbor Vitae in response via MABAS. Oneida County Medics 4 and 5 also assisted at the scene.