11/18/04 The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services ISU (Incident Support Unit) was at The Duxbury Fire Department for regional training.
The ISU is equipped with a dispatch console
The unit has radios on all bands to service any agency
Here is one of the three work stations in the truck
Flat screen TV and conference room
Members of the ISU South Team
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.
The ISU with its technical support team responds to requests from the IC at any incident to provide wide-ranging support for and coordination of many functions, as well as offer numerous resources. Some of the services offered include incident documentation, resource inventory control, unified command support, communication, and use of the ISU's facilities and equipment.
The vehicle is available to support any major incident, including fires, searches for missing persons, manmade and natural disasters, large-scale public events, multiple fatality and extended duration events, as well as incidents where multiple agencies are operating. In addition, the unit can be used for non-emergency events, such as the Boston Marathon and the July 4th Esplanade Concert.
There is no charge or fee associated with the use of the vehicle(s) and support team. Because the ISU is under the auspices of the Department of Fire Services, it can respond anywhere throughout the Commonwealth. This is a benefit when coordinating multiple state agencies, such as fire departments providing mutual aid, haz-ardous materials response teams, state police fire investigators, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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