MASSACHUSETTS' MOBILE INCIDENT SUPPORT UNIT

摘要

Consider This Scenario: An Incident Comman-der (IC) has a multiple-alarm fire in his community. As the fire rages out of control, the IC is faced not only with critical decisions that will affect the outcome of the incident but also with logistical problems. From where is the help coming? Is special equipment out there and available? If this is a long-duration incident, who is going to feed the personnel? Perhaps most importantly, how can the various agencies on-scene communicate? These are just a few of the problems an IC will encounter at any large-scale incident. Until just recently, they were the sole responsibility of the person in charge of the incident. In 1999, the Massachusetts fire service realized the vision of a state-funded vehicle and team that could respond to support any incident―a fully mobile incident support unit (ISU). The purpose of the ISU is to provide the local command structure with specialized resources necessary to coordinate the response of multiple agencies to significant events within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This is accomplished with an emphasis on local control and high regard for customer service.