Operations Division
The Operations Division is the "boots on the ground" personnel group that provides Fire, EMS, Dive Rescue, Technical Rescue and Hazardous Materials Response services to our citizens and those visiting the villages within the Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District. Firefighters operate out of our three strategically located stations and respond in a "Jump Company" deployment model. This means that our firefighters are not assigned to just a fire apparatus or ambulance, but rather "jump" back and forth between the two based on the type and location of the incident. This prevents us from having to have a fire engine chase the ambulance to an EMS call - saving wear and tear on our most expensive apparatus.
Firefighter/Medics are assigned to work one of three 24-hour shifts - providing services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Each shift is led by a Battalion Chief that operates out of our Headquarters Station 1 and responds district-wide to incidents of significance.
While the majority of our incidents involve EMS services, fire response and motor vehicle crashes, the Operations Division must also be trained and equipped to respond to specialized rescue incidents such as trench & structural collapses, high-angle rescues (for example, a worker injured on a cell tower), confined space rescues, hazardous materials releases, boat accidents, drownings, and wildland fire responses. These types of incidents require specialized training and equipment beyond the scope of our normal operations. To meet these special needs, a number of Fire/Medics from our department are part of a larger county-wide team, the MABAS Division 4 & 5 Specialized Response Teams.
