Mutual Aid Response
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Every fire department and emergency medical service (EMS) in Hamilton County, Ohio are part of a Mutual Aid Agreement that is designed to dispatch fire and/or EMS units to any incident regardless of which jurisdiction the incident occurs. There are several factors that determine the response to an incident, such as; the size and scale of an incident, number of patients reported, the size and location of a reported fire, etc. Large scale incidents that exceed the capabilities of an individual fire department will receive additional resources from neighboring departments to assist in managing the incident, whether it be a fire or EMS incident.
Most fire departments operate through Hamilton County Emergency Communications (HCEC) and are setup through a Computer-Aided Dispatch interface (CAD). Mutual aid units are dispatched based on their proximity to a fire and/or EMS incident, this ensures the public is getting the closest appropriate unit(s) to their emergency. Additionally, fire departments can utilize this agreement to call for specialized equipment or apparatus based on the incident.
Each fire department provides HCEC with their fire and EMS run cards, which details the number of fire and/or EMS units that are dispatched to an incident depending on the call type. The call type and available resources at the time of an emergency, will determine which mutual aid units (if any) will respond. Because most of the fire departments in Hamilton County are on the same radio system, fire ground communications are seamless and very efficient.
The Hamilton County Fire Chief's Association has agreed to a minimum response to all structure fire dispatches within Hamilton County and it consists of 5- Engines, 2- Ladders, 2- EMS Units and 2- District Command Vehicles. The Incident Commander will ensure there is an on-deck crew assigned at all working fires. The on-deck crew is first and foremost a Rapid Assistance Team (RAT). The RAT team is a crew prepared to rescue any firefighter(s) that find themselves unable to exit a structure that is on fire.
In the event there is a Mayday, the RAT team will focus on locating the downed firefighter(s), provide air for them to breathe, and develop a plan to remove them from the structure. The other firefighters operating on the fire ground will continue to control the fire and prevent it from harming the downed firefighter(s).
Most fire departments operate through Hamilton County Emergency Communications (HCEC) and are setup through a Computer-Aided Dispatch interface (CAD). Mutual aid units are dispatched based on their proximity to a fire and/or EMS incident, this ensures the public is getting the closest appropriate unit(s) to their emergency. Additionally, fire departments can utilize this agreement to call for specialized equipment or apparatus based on the incident.
Each fire department provides HCEC with their fire and EMS run cards, which details the number of fire and/or EMS units that are dispatched to an incident depending on the call type. The call type and available resources at the time of an emergency, will determine which mutual aid units (if any) will respond. Because most of the fire departments in Hamilton County are on the same radio system, fire ground communications are seamless and very efficient.
The Hamilton County Fire Chief's Association has agreed to a minimum response to all structure fire dispatches within Hamilton County and it consists of 5- Engines, 2- Ladders, 2- EMS Units and 2- District Command Vehicles. The Incident Commander will ensure there is an on-deck crew assigned at all working fires. The on-deck crew is first and foremost a Rapid Assistance Team (RAT). The RAT team is a crew prepared to rescue any firefighter(s) that find themselves unable to exit a structure that is on fire.
In the event there is a Mayday, the RAT team will focus on locating the downed firefighter(s), provide air for them to breathe, and develop a plan to remove them from the structure. The other firefighters operating on the fire ground will continue to control the fire and prevent it from harming the downed firefighter(s).
| 2014_fire_mutual_aid_agreement.pdf |