2The Maywood Fire Department is constantly striving to maintain and improve its capacity to protect life and property in Maywood. Although the Department engages in numerous safety initiatives annually, three are highlighted below. The first involves the Department's participation in a Mutual Aid Response system. The second is a series of initiatives recently undertaken to maintain the service capabilities of Department Personnel as well as the Village's infrastructure. The third is the Department's participation in the Safe Haven program, as required by Illinois law.
Mutual Aid Response
The terrorist attacks of September 11,2001 demonstrated the need for improvements in the communications and coordination of first-responders. One of the ways the Maywood Fire Department better serves and protects the residents of Maywood is through its membership in MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System), which is a mutual aid organization established to improve fire service communications, management and coordination between fire departments during emergencies, natural disasters and man-made catastrophes. MABAS was formed in the late 1960s and is well-established throughout northern Illinois, with over 550 member fire departments organized within 46 divisions.
Maywood is serviced by Division 20, which is comprised of 17 surrounding towns. MABAS has divided Maywood into three sections: Box 100 includes everything north of the railroad tracks, Box 200 runs from the railroad tracks south to Madison Street and Box 300 consists of everything south of Madison to Roosevelt Road.
Whenever the Department receives a call or a report of a structure fire, all on-duty personnel respond to that call. As soon as the vehicles pull out of the station, the shift commander sends out a signal (tones) over the radio to alert all towns in Division 20. Depending on where in Maywood the fire occurs determines which fire department will automatically respond with pre-determined equipment and manpower. As the fire or alarm escalates, more pre-determined towns will respond with equipment and manpower. The deployment of manpower and equipment by other communities is handled by NorCom, a dispatch center located in Northlake.
All communities located in Division 20 are contracted with Norcom to respond to all fire dispatches. This same response system is also implemented for emergency medical situations.
Division 20 has specialty co-op teams, including fire investigation, hazardous materials, TRT-(Technical Rescue Team), safety officer and RIT–(Rapid Intervention Team). These teams are made up of members of various fire departments who provide expert training, equipment and resources to local communities at a lower cost than would be possible for each community were to pursue the training alone. The MABAS system is a statewide system allowing all departments in the state unlimited resources for emergency response.
Maintaining Service Capabilities
All Department members participate in numerous training seminars, classes and continuing education throughout the year. This training is done to assure that all members are up to date and proficient in all firefighting and emergency medical skills.
All department members have completed NIMS (National Incident Management System) training.
The Maywood Fire Department tests all 734 fire hydrants within the Village of Maywood. In 2007, the department worked in conjunction with the pumping station and took a static and residual reading on every other hydrant to create a better working knowledge of the village water system.
Along with hydrants testing the Department also tests 312 lengths of fire hose. Each hose is 50 feet long; three lengths are connected together, caped off at one end then filled with water and pressurized to 250 psi for three minutes. If any leaks are detected the hose is taken out of service.
Through out the year, the department participated in numerous parades, block parties, festivals and village functions.
Providing Safe Haven
The Department is fully compliant with Illinois state statue requiring all fire stations, police stations and medical facilities to display a sign outside that indicates this location is a Safe Haven. The sign indicates that the location is prepared to accept any newborn infant relinquished by its parent (or parents) under the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act.
Safety Tips
Click on each title for a printer-friendly flyer
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(Written in English and Spanish)
Prevent Home Electrical Fires |
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(Written in English and Spanish)
Prevent burns and scalds in the kitchen.
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Watch what you heat, cooking is the number one cause of home fires.
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47% of all home fires are caused by cooking
Adults > 65 are at a much higher risk of injury and death from a kitchen fire due to physical, visual, hearing or mental impairments that may slow the quick action necessary in a fire emergency
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Cooking is the number one cause of home fires. Most burns associated with cooking in 2013-2017 were caused by contact with a hot object or liquid rather than by fire or flame.
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The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) reminds Illinoisians to test, inspect for expired alarms, and replace batteries in their smoke and CO alarms as they change the clock.
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Be prepared for cold weather. Keep moving to keep warm.
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Fires in high-rise and condominium buildings are especially dangerous. Make sure you know where all the exit stairs are in your building. If you do have a fire in your building, here are steps you can take to stay safe.
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Parents - teach your children to stay away from hot things that can hurt them!
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Get Smart - Think Safety!
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This training program provides background information and procedures that Police and Fire Departments and other Emergency Response Agencies need to know.
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(Written in English and Spanish)
Don't Wait - Age matters when it comes to your smoke alarms. Check the manufacture dates on your smoke alarms today! For more information about smoke alarms, visit usfa.fema.gov and www.nfpa.org.
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Every bedroom needs a working smoke alarm. Half of home fire deaths happen between 11pm and 7pm. For more information, visit usfa.fema.gov and www.nfpa.org.
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(Written in English and Spanish)
Snow storms and rain can cause stressful and dangerous conditions. Your neighbors and family need your help in preventing local flooding and preparing in case of fire emergencies. If there is no water coming through any of your faucets, call for BWSC 24-Hour Emergency Assistance at (617) 989-7000.
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(Carbon Monoxide Danger)
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), heating equipment is a leading cause of home fires in the United States. Half of home heating fires are reported during the months of December, January and February. Carbon Monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas only detectable by special devices and CO alarms. This means it's imperative that you have working CO alarms in your home to help keep you and your family safe.
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Home fires occur more in winter than in any other season. Keep anything that can burn at lease 3 feet from any heat source like fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators or space heaters. Portable Generators are useful during and winter storms, but if not used safely, they can cause injuries and death.
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Follow these portable heater tips to help prevent winter fires and to stay safe this winter season.
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Know the fire safety risks and how you can keep yourself and first responders safe.
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