Tinley Park Fire Department is part of the 3rd District, MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) Division 24. The 3rd District Fire Chiefs Association sponsors the 3rd District Hazardous Materials Response Team. All 28 departments of the district donate money and manpower to support the team. All team members are from 3rd District Fire Departments. They are the responsible party, in our area, for responding to hazardous materials incidents and acts of terrorism, when called upon by a department of the district.

3rd Dist. Haz-mat Headquarters, Holbrook, IL

The purpose of the Third District Hazardous Materials Response Team, MABAS 24, is to provide a specialized team of personnel with specialized hazardous materials training and specialized equipment. The team is capable of responding to hazardous materials incidents in order to contain and/or control the incident and to prevent further damage to life and property. The Team operates with some limitations. This Team is not considered a Team of experts, but a Team of technicians who provide assistance, resources, mitigation and specialized knowledge. The Team is not a "clean-up company".

The Team is made up of a maximum of fifty qualified members of individual Third District Departments, signatory to the Hazardous Materials Response Agreement. The number of members is determined by the Hazardous Materials Advisory Committee with the approval of the Third District Fire Chief's Association. Each member has been trained to meet the standards as set by the Hazardous Materials Advisory Committee in accordance with all federal, state and local requirements.

Tinley Park has been a supporter of the team since its inception. Tinley Park currently has six of its members on the team. One member is also an advisor and trained to the level of Hazardous Materials Incident Command. Advisors act as the managers for the team. The other five-team members include three Hazardous Materials Technicians and two Hazardous Materials Operations level personnel. The two Operations level personnel will soon be trained to the level of technician.

The team is ready to respond 24-hours per day and are dispatched on the command of the affected community. The Incident Commander of community in need of help merely calls for a Hazardous Materials Box. This alerts the advisory team and they respond to the incident. If mitigation is needed then a second alarm is called and this brings the entire team along with two Hazmat Vehicles, Squads 9901 and 9902

Squad 9901, a 2001 box truck, is equipped with a command center, personnel protective equipment, radios, communication equipment, detection meters, identification tools and various other supplies to allow us to enter hazardous atmospheres in a relatively safe manner. Squad 9902 is a fire engine that was donated to the team by the Hazel Crest Fire Department and has been modified for hazardous materials use. It carries equipment to reduce or completely stop the problem. It is the mitigation vehicle carrying booms, sorbents, oil dry, neutralizers, foam, containment vessels, and plugging and diking equipment.

The team members from Tinley Park put many additional hours, above and beyond their normal fire response duties, into training and responding to hazardous materials incidents. The cooperation of the various member departments allows the district to protect its citizens at highest level at the most reasonable costs.