MMA holds webinar on fire mutual aid

An MMA webinar on Jan. 16 discussed the importance of fire department mutual aid in Massachusetts.

The Department of Fire Services, Department of Conservation and Recreation, and Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts provided an overview of mutual aid efforts and how they help to mitigate wildfires and other disasters, as well as their legal framework.

Peter Burke and Michael Kelleher, past and current presidents of the Fire Chiefs Association, respectively, reviewed when mutual aid is used and what it looks like. Burke discussed three case studies: a 2018 natural gas explosion in the Merrimack Valley, extreme flooding in North Attleborough in 2023, and a 2023 fire at Brockton Hospital.

Dave Celino, chief fire warden with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, discussed factors that influenced this past fall’s wildfires around the state, citing drought, above-average temperatures, multi-day wind events, consistently low dew points, and seasonal leaf drop.

“Massachusetts is no stranger to wildfire events,” Celino added.

Celino recommended thinking strategically about how a situation can be managed before it happens.

Glenn Rooney, general counsel for the Department of Fire Services, shared a Reference Guide on mutual aid in Massachusetts, prepared by the Office of General Counsel, which covers legal considerations.

State Fire Marshal Jon Davine moderated 10 minutes of questions and answers, which addressed how mutual aid is tracked to ensure it is statistically reciprocated, when to send a fire truck and/or an ambulance to medical calls, and if forest management has an impact on the proliferation of forest wildfires.

 

• Fire Department Mutual Aid presentation (1.4M PDF)
• 2024 Fire Season presentation – Mass. DCR Bureau of Forest Fire Control (3M PDF)