If disaster befalls Independence Township, firefighters have a plan.
They’ll call the rest of the county for help.
‘We’ve worked on this for about a year and half,? said Steve Ronk, fire chief for Independence Township.
‘This is an attempt to get all 42 to sign under one umbrella, mutual aid pack, which has never been done before.?
The county is split into four separate mutual aid associations with four different procedures of response to those mutual aid associations. Departments want a county-wide mutual aid agreement.
‘There’s been a group of representatives from different departments, full paid departments, combination departments, volunteer departments to work on this to make it as palatable as we can for all different types of departments with from the north to the south,? said Ronk.
‘It’s really a new horizon for the fire service in Oakland County. We’ve never really been as tight as we are at this point and having all of us working together on one focal point is really a good thing.?
The Independence Township board showed its support Dec. 18 with a unanimous resolution to approve the interlocal agreement.
‘I think it’s good when all communities like that can cooperate with each other. I think it’s good for all of us in the end,? said Clerk Shelagh Vanderveen.
‘Those are good agreements and our fire chief Steve Ronk should be commended for being part of these kinds of agreements, which are the kinds of agreements that save tax payers money. It allows us to not have to have all the resources in one location, but to spread it out amongst the county,? said Trustee Dan Kelly. ‘Chief Ronk has worked real hard to be part of it and I’m happy he did it.?
Out of the 42 departments Ronk said he thinks 90 percent plus will join. Already 10-15 departments have signed on.
‘I don’t think it’s going to be unanimous. I’d be surprised if it does. There will be a couple holdouts and it may take them a year or two,? he said. ‘Eventually we’d like to have everybody under one umbrella mutual aide pack.?
The group is also working on standardizing polices and procedures.
‘For example a box alarm card system is mandated to join this group ? meaning if you go on a building fire or an incident you have to pre-plan what a second, third, fourth alarm response would be ahead of time so you don’t have to pick and choose standing in front of a burning building what you want for assistance,? said Ronk. ‘You just call for a second or third alarm and it’s all predetermined.?
Another major issue is firefighter identification. Some departments use tags, others use Velcro strips with names on them.
‘And everyone does it differently, so when people come together it gets a little bit confusing,? said Ronk.
‘There are a lot of new things, we have a new radio system that’s coming up and has been in the works for probably seven years, a $40,000, 800 megahertz radio system that is going to link the police and fire departments in Oakland County, first time ever.?
Ronk said the agreement makes it easier for departments to assist one another, but no one is forced to join or assist.
‘No one is bound to strip their community if they’re busy themselves. Everyone had that concern; no one wants to give up authority,? he said. ‘It’s not a new concept. It’s really and truly the first time a cooperative effort has taken place with all of Oakland County. It really has potential as great gains as a fire service in Oakland County because we’ll all be working in the same direction.?
Ronk said he was glad the different departments could come together and compromise on some issues to make agreements work.
‘We spent a lot of time with the local attorneys of all the communities of Oakland County to try and give them a preview of what was coming, so we wouldn’t roll this out then have 42 attorneys jumping the bag and play ping pong for six years,? he said.
However, there is a fee for each department to be part of the mutual aid agreement. Ronk said departments pay $3,000 a year for dues, but knowing not all departments pay that much and some may not join right away, there had to be a graduated system.
The first year is $1,000, second $2,000, and third $3,000.
‘The money will be used for special operation teams,? said Ronk.
The township board also voted unanimous to sign a resolution joining the state MEMAC, Michigan Emergency Management Assistance Compact.
‘The state mutual aid pack is just boiler plate language for if we got called somewhere in the state of Michigan, the paperwork is in line as far as who can call us and payback, things like that,? said Ronk. ‘I don’t see that happening unless there was an absolute disaster, since 9-11, there’s been a lot of this stuff done just in case.?