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Our friends at Firehouse Candles will generously donate 15% of all sales to us for following the above link. Excellent candles at an excellent price. (They also do custom labeling!!)
SEE WHAT M.E.S.S IS RAFFLING OFF SOON...CLICK HERE TO SEE!
To: All Canteen Crew Members.
From: Chief of Operations Terry B. Cox
In reference to: MESS -Thank You
Date: January 1, 2008
Time: All Year
I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the tremendous support and assistance you have provided to the Metropolitan Emergency Support Services, Inc.
In 2007. The time you dedicated and your generous donations enable the MESS organization to respond and assist the emergency services in the Chicago Metro area on a continuing basis. Your volunteer service combined with all the other crew members is what enables MESS to provide crucial public service assistance to the emergency services of northeastern Illinois.
How you volunteer is not as important as the fact you all come through when the chips are down. No one can do everything, but together we can do it all.
The Board of Directors’ thanks you, one and all for every moment you gave this year. Again together we have provided a service unequaled anywhere. You can be as proud to be a MESS member as we are of you for being a member.
M1- Is stationed in Libertyville and is used mostly as a fill in truck. However it has responded to several calls as a first in vehicle.
M2 - We would be remiss if we did not welcome the Zion ESDA group (14 new members). They have taken over M-2 and responded and assisted in more than 20 functions. The City has built them a new station and M-2 is housed and responds from this new facility.
M3 - has responded to many calls in Barrington, Long Grove, Elk Grove Township, Carpentersville and other calls in the southwest corner of our coverage areas. Mechanical repairs have enabled us to count on this unit to be more reliable and the new assigned crew members have done wonders in pushing out on those calls that need a quick response.
M4 - Five new members from Glenview have boosted the response capabilities of M-4. These new members have been training and responding on a regular basis. Along with the seven original members that fill in on less regular basis, that crew has been able to cover events in the southeast corner of our response area.
M5 – Updates in the electrical systems and several other repairs have helped maintain this bus in good operating condition. M5 worked for several days at the Gurnee flood in the spring and is still stationed in Lincolnshire- Riverwoods Station 52. Along with the division 4 bus, M5 covers the south area of our district and the Lake County SRT bus covers the north response area from Lake Forest Station 2.
M6 – Is still the workhorse of our fleet, with over 35 members assigned to this vehicle that responds from North Chicago Station 2. It is more often called upon to back up the other canteens on larger calls. Police, swat, road blocks, and training activities require larger and longer responses.
M7 – This is our first response and command vehicle. In extreme weather conditions M7 responds with a supply of water, sports drink and food stuffs and can start operations until the appropriate canteen arrives. If the call only requires rehydration, M7 will handle the call and hold the big truck in service for other calls.
PP1 – Speaks for it’s self and is God sent on many calls
Together we responded to over 140 calls for assistance from our emergency services agencies. The longest was for three and one half days in Gurnee. Service calls for multi-day activities were handled in several communities. But by far the larger fires, field force, Special Response Teams, and Special Weapons and Tactical Team calls were the normal. Calls to Carpentersville and Somers, Wisconsin were the farthest. The water recovery calls were the most challenging. With the transition from the dive teams to side scan sonar then with a good hit, back to the divers keep things moving.
We are looking foreword this year to the completion of the “MESS Resource Guide for incident command personal”. This document will quickly advise the incident commander of the resources MESS has at its disposal. Described are the hundreds of resources MESS can obtain at short notice and get to the emergency incident.
A resource guide for “goods in kind” is being developed as we speak. A.C. Epstein and a committee have been working on this booklet for sometime now.
We have been added to the Lake County Major Crimes Task force,” Child Abduction Rescue Team”. MESS will provide the logistics’ support a large operation such as this will need in a quick efficient manor.
Of course preparations for the second annual fund raiser for MESS will be underway soon. The organizers, Chief Terry Cox, Jim Thornton, and several Lake County fire Chiefs will put together a better and fun filled gathering on September 19, 2008 in Fox Lake station off, Washington St. in Ingleside. If you are interested in serving on a committee please notify Chief Cox soon. We will need all the help we can get. All suggestions are welcome.
Happy New Year!
Very truly yours,
Terry B. Cox
Chief of Operations
MESS Canteens
ALL MESS MEMBERS
Notice
We are proud to announce that on July 1, 2007, the City of Zion Fire and Rescue Department (ZFRD), Zion Emergency Services and Disaster Agency, (ESDA) and Metropolitan Emergency Support Services, (MESS) will co-mingle services, training, equipment and housing. The responsibilities of emergency feeding at large fire and police activities will remain the primary function of MESS.
Rationale
In the past, ESDA had a cargo van that responded to fires and etc. to provide a rehab function within the City of Zion. If the incident expanded to include a Box alarm response, MESS responded and assumed the functions of feeding and re-hydrating of the fire crews. Due to age and the mechanical condition of this van, it was decided that it would become cost effective for MESS to respond earlier and provide the rehab function sooner. This will be accomplished by relocating a response unit to Zion’s ESDA station. The ESDA vehicle will not need to be replaced and services will be enhanced. MESS will welcome the members of ESDA that manned the discontinued truck to continue their services as MESS members.
How this will be accomplished
Zion Fire and ESDA will provide the services that have been mandated by the City and are under the guidance of the Fire Chief. In the City of Zion during emergency incidents, MESS will work with the ZFRD and ESDA under the MABAS agreements. This holds true within 63 other fire jurisdictions and 99 police agencies in northeastern Illinois.
Implementation
The relocation of MESS Canteen M-2 to the Zion ESDA station could happen as soon as 6/10/2007. Operation costs, over-lapping responsibilities, and mutual aid agreements have made this merger an easy and effective way to improve and expand these needed services. For over 15 years MESS has been working together as part of the fire Mutual Aid Box alarm system (MABAS). This merger will then speed up response times and unify the operations by sharing resources; thereby saving costs and strengthening the emergency services in this response area. MESS has worked well with all these units including all the fire and police agencies.
GREAT CANDLES AT A GREAT PRICE!!
Our friends at Firehouse candles will make a
generous donation for each item purchased
through our site. Please help spread the word!!!
Metropolitan Emergency Support Services would like to thank the Lake County Fire Chiefs Association for a wonderful and successful fundraiser. In the picture above from left to right;
MESS B.O.D Wally Mitchell
Chief of operations Terry Cox
Retired Chief Stuart Hoehne
Fox Lake Chief Ron Hoehne
Buffalo Grove Chief Tim Sashko
Gurnee Chief Fred Friedl
Long Grove Chief Robert Turpel
Waukegan Chief Patrick Gallagher
Retired Abbott Chief Paul Grough
Click on the picture above to see the photos from the fundraiser!!!
Please take a moment and sign our Guestbook
MESS UPCOMING EVENTS
WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 30
We have once again been invited to participate in Baskin Robbins great
fundraiser for fallen firefighters. They have special prices on ice cream
and all proceeds go to the fallen firefighters fund. We are on hand to
promote MESS. This is located at Baskin Robbins on Greenbay Rd (just north
of Grand Ave) in Waukegan from 6 pm – 10 pm. Please let me know if you can
attend. Canteen 6 will be there. mess803@yahoo.com
TUESDAY, MAY 13
This is a very large drill located in Hoffman Estates. The tentative time at
this point are from 7 am – 3 pm. Canteen 6 will be used at this event. We
need several people to help us here. New members are encourage to come as
this will be a great training day. All members are welcome to sign up by
email at mess803@yahoo.com
Friday, May 23
Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Gurnee Police department have requested our
presence at a roadside safety check. Canteen 6 will be going. This is
another good one for new members, and as always all members are invited to
come. The times on this are from
10 pm – 2 am. Please let me know by email mess803@yahoo.com
We have the pics from the field trip 2006 to the fire museum!!!
© 2006 Metropolitan Emergency Support Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.