Trustees Approve $600 Donation to Regional Support Services Organization
The BCFPD Board of Trustees approved a $600 donation to a regional non-profit group that provides field support services to more than 50 fire departments in northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin.
Metropolitan Emergency Support Services, Inc. (MESS) was founded in 1993 to provide onsite food, beverages, and other essentials to emergency responders in the field. These services enable firefighters, paramedics and police officers to maintain operational effectiveness over long periods of time during large or lengthy incidents.
MESS services are supported by tax-deductible donations from the public and private sector. The Fire District's contribution was funded by income from its Foreign Fire Tax Fund. No taxpayer dollars were used.
MESS owns five specially equipped "canteen trucks" used to feed public safety providers. Its assets also include a mobile climate center for use in warming or cooling onsite personnel, and a mobile "washroom on wheels."
MESS is dispatched through Illinois' Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) to multiple alarm fires. It has supported Barrington Fire Department operations often throughout the years – including twice in 2010, when firefighters and paramedics responded to large home fires.
For more information on MESS, visit www.1800getmess.org.