Fire District Ready to Assist Village through Mutual Aid

The Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District (BCFPD) stands ready to assist the Village of Barrington whenever possible through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS), but will no longer pursue an automatic aid agreement with the village, according to a BCFPD press release.

The district began independent operations on Jan. 1. The district's decision to split with the village was made after negotiations to renew an existing agreement hit a stalemate due to differences over adding personnel and additional firefighting equipment.

Timeline of Events

In September, the district signed an agreement with Paramedic Services of Illinois (PSI) to provide them with 33 full-time firefighters/paramedics.

The district currently has automatic aid agreements with: Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District; Buffalo Grove Fire Department; Carpentersville Fire Department; Cary Fire Protection District; East Dundee Fire Protection District; Fox River Grove Fire Protection District; Lake Zurich Rural Fire Protection District; Long Grove Fire Protection District; Palatine Rural Fire Protection; District; and Wauconda Fire District. In addition, its long-standing working relationship with the Hoffman Estates Fire Department remains intact.

With no automatic aid agreement between the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District and Village of Barrington, district officials believe mutual aid offers the best for responding to fire and EMS calls originating in the village, according to a press release.

MABAS is a mutual aid system that allows emergency responders to pool resources in extreme situations such as multiple-alarm fires or regional disasters that exceed the capabilities of a single department.

"The BCFPD will gladly provide assistance to our neighbors in the village of Barrington through MABAS whenever they need us," said BCFPD Fire Chief/Administrator Jeff Swanson. "We are committed to Excellence in Service. As we move forward, we will work with all our neighbors to continuously improve the levels of service provided to area residents and revise our current agreements when opportunities arise."

"If Barrington needs us, all they have to do is make the call and we’ll send the cavalry," said BCFPD President Tom Rowan. "We will provide whatever personnel and apparatus they may need that we have available."

District officials said the district has a long tradition of cooperation and aid among departments and districts and fully intends to participate in perpetuating that tradition.

"As it begins independent operations, the BCFPD would like to wish the Village of Barrington good luck and Godspeed in its new endeavors," stated a press release.