Interagency cooperation a good thing

Last Sunday we introduced this column with some safety tips for people looking for ways to dispose of gift wrapping, dead trees and other winter safety tips. Today, we will focus on explaining one of the key elements of firefighting and fire protection offered by the fire departments of the Mat-Su Borough.

In the process, we will answer one of the most common questions encountered from residents: On house fires, I see a lot of different fire departments on the scene. How do they know when to help other departments?

On all house fires, 911 dispatch automatically dispatches several fire departments. These departments operate under what is called a mutual-aid agreement, in which the local fire service area is in command of the fire scene but the additional resources of neighboring agencies respond. All the fire departments in the borough recognize a need to provide services to our neighbors to make sure there are enough personnel and enough water on location to properly fight the fire. These mutual-aid agreements help toward improving the fire insurance ratings of individual fire service area’s homes and businesses.

Willow, Houston and West Lakes fire departments all operate under an automatic-aid agreement in which the fire departments are co-dispatched with one another on the initial call for a house fire. The mutual aid departments, namely Talkeetna, Caswell, Central Mat-Su Fire Department and the other agencies the are only dispatched if requested by a responding agency. Sometimes the technical expertise of one agency is needed on scene, such as the ladder truck in Wasilla, the heavier rescue in Big Lake, the snowmachine rescue sled in Willow, or the central location and large turnout of attack-qualified firefighters from Houston.

Mutual aid agreements also exist outside of the local fire departments. For instance, every fire department of the borough, Houston, and Palmer fire departments have mutual-aid agreements with the state Division of Forestry.

Typically, the fire department responsible for the service area the fire is in will provide an engine company and at least 3,000 gallons of water to the scene via tanker trucks. As the vast majority of the borough is not protected by hydrants, there is a heavy dependence on these water shuttles. Training occurs regularly at all stations to ensure all personnel are proficient at operating water shuttles. The other fire departments respond with water tankers and personnel because those are the two most important needs on a fire site. This also leaves the other fire engines in their own service areas in the event of another emergency.

By maintaining a constant flow of water and enough personnel on scene, these mutual-aid agreements ensure that an aggressive effort can be made to save lives and save houses. If you have questions about how your house is protected, call your local fire department and ask. We are all here to serve our constituents, and love to hear from you with your questions, comments or concerns.

The Houston Fire Department will write a regular column each week. We will focus on helping you remain safe and sound in all seasons, and answer any questions you may have about the fire service, EMS, or any other first responder-related questions you can think of.

E-mail questions about public safety to hartley@myopinionmatters.org. Your question may even get answered in the newspaper.

Christian M. Hartley is the public information officer for the Houston Fire Department.