1. Mutual Aid Box Alarm System

2. MABAS Communications Committee
Charged with the task of improving fire service communications interoperability to assist with incident management of:
Emergencies
Natural Disasters
Man Made Catastrophes

3. Communications Interoperability
Provide ability for the Incident Commander to communicate with all divisions or sectors at an incident.
Provide ability for companies to communicate within sectors.
Provide for interdisciplinary communications.

4. Communications Interoperability
Provide communications procedures for “Mayday” and “Emergency Traffic” Situations
Provide ability for mutual aid companies and change of quarters companies to communicate with MABAS Divisions and the local fire dispatch center.

5. Interagency Fire Emergency Radio Network
MABAS Communications
Interagency Fire Emergency Radio Network
Frequency of MHz
Two-tone encoding to alert pagers and alert receivers
Referred to as the IFERN frequency

6. Why VHF Simplex?
Most Commonly Used Frequency Band for Public Safety in Illinois
MABAS’ Three Decade History of Dispatch Operations on VHF High Band
NFPA Standard 1221 on Emergency Service Communications Systems:
“A separate simplex radio channel shall be provided for on-scene tactical operations.”

7. Communications Advocacy Statements
Statement #1 – VHF Interoperability
2 Dispatch (Base/Mobile) Frequencies
IFERN (wideband)
IFERN2 (narrowband)
3 Wideband Fireground (Tactical) Frequencies
Red, White & Blue
3 Narrowband Fireground (Tactical) Freqs
Gold, Black & Gray
IREACH (Inter-disciplinary Coordination)

8. Communications Advocacy Statements
Statement #1 – VHF Interoperability
Mutual Aid Response Apparatus should have VHF radio capabilities on IFERN & Fireground Channels
Discourages the use of cross-band repeaters or trunking applications for fireground (tactical) situations.

9. Communications Advocacy Statements
Statement #2 – Radio Licenses
Encourages all fire departments to audit their FCC radio authorizations.
Encourages appropriate use of frequencies.
Encourages departments and/or MABAS Divisions to obtain accurate FCC radio authorizations on both dispatch and tactical frequencies.

10. Communications Advocacy Statements
Statement #3 – Transmit Power Limitations
Limits transmit power on fireground (tactical) frequencies to 10 watts maximum.
Allows high power (110 watt) operations on IFERN and IFERN 2 Frequencies
Discourages fixed base station transmit operations on fireground (tactical) frequencies.

11. Communications Advocacy Statements
Statement #4 – MABAS Alerting
Establishes specific paging tones and encoder timing formats to ensure proper alerting.
Encourages testing to determine proper coverage for dispatch area. (95% coverage)
Encourages reengineering of Division base stations if coverage is inadequate.

12. Communications Advocacy Statements
Statement #5 – Medical Helicopters
Discourages use of IFERN or Red, White or Blue fireground frequencies for medical helicopter landing zones.
Encourages the use of existing VHF MERCI frequencies, IREACH or other local frequency(ies)

13. Communications Advocacy Statements
Statement #6 – CTCSS Tones “PL”
Establishes CTCSS tones for all “MABAS” operations frequencies.
Establishes implementation date for IFERN base station operations of January 1, 2006.

14. Communications Advocacy Statements
Statement #7 – Statewide Radio License
Proposed for Executive Board Action on February 5th.
MABAS has applied to FCC for statewide authority on 8 “MABAS” frequencies.
25,000 Mobiles
20 Fixed Base Temporary Stations for IFERN and IFERN2

15. Communications Advocacy Statements
Statement #7 – Statewide Radio License
Establishes parameters for shared use of “MABAS” frequencies and MABAS FCC authorization by member departments.
Frequencies can be used for emergency scene communications and official training activities.
Requires shared users to abide by MABAS policies, FCC rules and Advocacy Statements.
Shifts liability for improper operation to user.

16. MUTUAL AID BOX ALARM
Each Division designates a MABAS Dispatching Center and a Backup Center with MABAS tone encoders
All MABAS Alarms are toned out on and transmitted on the IFERN frequency.
IFERN becomes dispatch channel for the incident.
Responding apparatus uses IFERN.

17. MUTUAL AID BOX ALARM
Local fire department dispatcher copies Box Alarm dispatch and confirms unit(s) due from their jurisdiction(s).
Local dispatcher dispatches unit(s) due using normal dispatch procedures/protocols.
If requested unit(s) are unavailable, local dispatcher advises MABAS Division dispatch as soon as possible.
MABAS Division dispatcher has authority to make substitutions.

18. MUTUAL AID BOX ALARM
Responding units advise local dispatcher of response on local fire frequency.
Responding units then advise MABAS of their response via IFERN radio frequency.
Self or Pre-Dispatching – Wait for MABAS to dispatch alarm before going enroute on IFERN.
Responding units respond to designated Level II staging area and report to staging officer.

19. MABAS Communications Survey
MUTUAL AID BOX ALARM
MABAS Communications Survey