MABAS-Illinois

10/22/2026

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗘. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗜𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗬𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗕𝗨𝗧.

Imagine your department is dispatched to a fire alarm at a newly constructed data center.

When the first engine arrives, crews discover a facility with extensive electrical infrastructure, backup power systems, specialized cooling equipment, and possibly large-scale battery storage.

Now consider that the electricity supporting these facilities may come from entirely new energy infrastructure.

An October 19 TechCrunch article describes a proposed Indiana project involving 12 small modular nuclear reactors at a former coal-fired power plant, intended in part to help meet the electricity demands of data centers.¹

The nuclear facility and data centers would have distinct hazards and response requirements, but the project illustrates how quickly our infrastructure is changing.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗠𝗦 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹?

Whether the new development in your community is a data center, battery storage facility, wind farm, solar installation, or another emerging technology, the fire service needs to understand what it is being asked to protect.

That means asking questions before construction begins.

Can apparatus reach the critical areas? What electrical and chemical hazards exist? How are systems isolated during an emergency? What specialized equipment or training will responders need? What happens when the incident exceeds the capabilities of the first-due department?

These questions matter to career, combination, and volunteer departments alike.

And when an incident requires specialized resources, mutual aid planning becomes even more important.

𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗠𝗦 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

The technology is changing. Our training and pre-incident planning must change with it.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗠𝗦 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹: 𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱?

¹ TechCrunch, “𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥 12 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘕𝘶𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘊𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵,” October 19, 2026, https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/19/amazon-to-fund-12-small-nuclear-reactors-at-former-indiana-coal-plant/

Amazon and X-energy have inked another deal to deploy nuclear power to the grid. This one will generate nearly 1 gigawatt of electricity.

10/22/2026

𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗡 𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗬

Imagine getting a call that your child's school bus has been involved in a crash.

Your first questions would probably be:

Is my child safe? Where are they? Who is helping them?

Now imagine being one of the firefighters arriving at that scene.

They need to help injured passengers, protect everyone from passing traffic, and work with school officials to make sure every student is accounted for.

School bus drivers receive guidance on emergency evacuation, including when it may be safer for students to remain on the bus rather than evacuate.¹

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: Parents, ask your children whether they know what to do if their bus is involved in an emergency. Encourage them to follow their driver's instructions and know where the emergency exits are located.

And to our local school bus drivers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and law enforcement officers: thank you for preparing for the emergencies we all hope never happen.

Reference
1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘉𝘶𝘴 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘐𝘯-𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴: 𝘗𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘭 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation, 2011), “Emergency Evacuation,” https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/hs811539b.pdf.

10/22/2026

𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚?

Your smoke alarm works. But will everyone in your home know when it sounds?

Think about:

• Someone who is deaf or hard of hearing
• An older adult who may need assistance
• Children who may sleep through an alarm
• Anyone who may need help getting outside

Special smoke alarm alerting devices, including flashing lights and bed shakers, are available for people with hearing loss.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: Talk with everyone in your household about what they will do when an alarm sounds. Identify anyone who needs additional warning equipment or evacuation assistance.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲.

10/21/2026

𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗦𝗛

You're driving home from work.

A school bus is ahead of you.

Your phone makes a sound. You glance down for just a moment.

When you look back up, the bus is slowing and its yellow lights are flashing.

What happens next depends on how much time and distance you have left.

Flashing yellow school bus lights mean the bus is preparing to stop. Slow down and get ready to stop.¹

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: Put your phone away before starting the car. Give school buses extra space, especially during morning pickup and afternoon drop-off.

Our firefighters respond when things go wrong. You can help keep them from going wrong in the first place.

Reference
1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭: 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘦,” https://www.nhtsa.gov/school-bus-safety/keeping-children-safe.

10/21/2026

𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘. 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗠.

Your smoke alarms have a limited service life.

Even if they still make noise when tested, smoke alarms should be replaced when they reach 10 years of age.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲:

Check the manufacturing date on your alarms. You may need to carefully remove an alarm from its mounting bracket to find the label.

If an alarm is 10 years old, replace it.

Illinois law generally requires newly installed battery-powered smoke alarms to have sealed, 10-year batteries, with certain exceptions.

Need help getting an alarm? Contact your local fire department using its nonemergency number and ask whether an assistance program is available.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘀.

10/20/2026

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗡'𝗧 𝗦𝗘𝗘

Imagine your child stepping off the school bus and dropping a favorite toy.

They bend down to pick it up.

But the bus driver can't see them.

School buses have areas around them where children can be difficult for the driver to see.

Here's something to practice with your children tonight:

• Stay at least 10 feet away from the bus.
• Never walk behind a school bus.
• If something falls near the bus, tell the driver. Don't try to retrieve it.
• When crossing in front, stay at least 10 feet ahead and make sure the driver sees you.¹

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: Ask your child, "What would you do if you dropped something next to your school bus?"

Make sure they know the answer.

Reference
1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘉𝘶𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺,” https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety.

10/20/2026

𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗠

When was the last time you actually tested your smoke alarms?

Not just looked at them. Not just checked for a blinking light. Actually pressed the test button?

Smoke alarms should be tested at least once a month.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲:

1. Find every smoke alarm.
2. Press the test button.
3. Make sure the alarm sounds.
4. Fix or replace any alarm that doesn't work.

Don't forget alarms in bedrooms and basements.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.

Fire departments: Share this reminder and challenge your community to participate!

10/19/2026

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗𝗡'𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗜𝗧

It's Monday morning. You're running late.

Ahead of you, a school bus stops. The red lights flash. The stop arm extends.

You don't see any children.

Would you consider passing?

Remember, the child you don't see may be the one about to cross the road.

Illinois law requires motorists to stop for school buses displaying their required stop signals, subject to limited roadway exceptions.¹

Our firefighters would much rather see everyone arrive safely than respond to a preventable crash.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: Give yourself a few extra minutes during the morning commute. When a school bus stops, follow the law and give children the time they need.

The next child crossing could be someone you know.

Reference
1. Illinois General Assembly, 𝘐𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴 𝘝𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘥𝘦, 625 ILCS 5/11-1414, https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext?DocName=062500050K11-1414.

10/19/2026

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗠

How many smoke alarms are in your home? Do you know without looking?

Today's challenge is simple: Walk through your home and find them.

You should have smoke alarms:

• Inside every bedroom
• Outside each separate sleeping area
• On every level, including the basement

Missing one? Make a plan to install it.

Illinois fire departments: Help spread the word by sharing this challenge with your communities.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴.

10/15/2026

Tammy in Macon County is doing some great things with and for people on the autism spectrum.