The Metropolitan Emergency Support Services, Inc. has for over 13 years provided first in services along with over 50 fire and another 99 police departments in Cook, Lake, and Kenosha Counties.

MESS has an immediate response coverage area of almost 1000 sq. miles. This means you will be one of over 60 response people responsible for manning, responding with and becoming a working quasi-military organization designed to, at a moments notice, activate and intermingle operations with some of the most highly trained and skilled Rescue, Swat, and Hazardous material response teams in the world.

Working thru an organized system (M.A.B.A.S.) Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, MESS is dispatched as a unit of the rehab section assigned to all multiple alarm fires. We join forces with a Mobile Intensive care unit and a Squad Truck and become the rehab area.

One of our functions is to rehab the fire suppression personnel so they can be safely used as replacement teams. This enables these teams to operate over long time periods at large or lengthy incidents.

State, County and local Police Departments also use our services at operations that typically last over 4-hour time frames. This in the past has meant, roadside safety checks, lost subjects, hostage situations, barricaded-in situations, and crime scene investigations.

Aircraft, and train crashes, Floods, some weather conditions and hazardous material incidents bring all the public safety teams together to act as one large operation. These require large quantities of manpower and resources. We sometimes spend days at these operations. This means we need replacement crews as well as immediate response crews.

You will experience the appreciation of these teams first-hand and be proud to be a part of our fast-acting, low-keyed, and all volunteer operation. You will be part of one of the most active and organized rehab services in the country.

Metropolitan Emergency Support Services, Inc., (MESS), formed in 1993 as a Non-Profit Corporation to serve Emergency Services personnel. In the past thirteen years, MESS has responded to approximately 2,140 emergencies and other events in its service area, which is all of Lake County, and the Northern portion of Cook County, Illinois, encompassing well over 65 different communities and entities.

MESS owns and operates five specially equipped Canteen Trucks for feeding personnel in the field. A 20 passenger bus has been turned into a "Climate Center", an on scene warming/cooling bus for emergency personnel taking breaks known as "Rehab". A portable bathroom, "washroom-on-wheels", was acquired via donation to the group.

All of these services are funded by donations from private individuals, the corporate sector, fire and police organizations, fundraisers and the donation of goods-in-kind. MESS is a non-profit organization with an IRS 501C(3) determination designation. Donations are fully tax deductible.

In a volunteer organization, no matter how many volunteers it has, there are never quite enough. Therefore, MESS has an on-going perennial campaign to seek men and women to help. Volunteers find the jobs most rewarding. While doing an exciting, interesting service...you get a chance to meet and work with many others, who have built a strong camaraderie, but welcomes everyone to become a part of the MESS family.

Chief of Operations

TERRY B. COX