Mabas

What Mabas does

MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) is an Illinois-based inter-governmental mutual aid organization founded in 1968 to coordinate fire, EMS, and specialized rescue response across member agencies. It operates a standardized statewide Box Alarm Response System built on pre-designed "run cards" maintained by each member agency, a common IFERN radio frequency enabling unified incident command on any scene, and codified operational protocols covering equipment staffing, fireground safety, and on-scene terminology. MABAS organizes 70 divisions that collectively cover all 102 Illinois counties and serve more than 1,175 member communities, with specialized assets including 30 hazardous-materials teams, 16 underwater rescue/recovery teams, 29 technical rescue teams, a FEMA NIMS Type 1 Urban Search and Rescue task force (IL-TF1, ~200 deployable members, EMAP Type 1 certified in 2022), and the MABAS Readiness Center housing centralized equipment, decontamination vehicles, mobile ventilation units, ROVs, and tent-city trailers. Similar MABAS systems also operate in Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and parts of Iowa and Missouri.

MABAS is structured as a membership-based non-profit rather than a commercial entity. Revenue is generated through a sliding-scale annual dues schedule tied to each member agency's operating budget (ranging from $29/year for sub-$50K agencies up to $2,192/year for the largest agencies), supplemented by divisional assessments and government grants — notably the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal (4-Gas Atmospheric Monitor project) and UASI equipment funding. The go-to-market is community-led: prospective members (fire departments, EMS agencies, fire protection districts) join by signing the standard MABAS Master Agreement and passing a local ordinance or resolution, with the Executive Board providing pre-drafted templates. Members receive mutual aid response to 800+ extra-alarm incidents annually, liability and workers' compensation coverage during IEMA-declared disasters, and cost reimbursement for overtime, expendables, and equipment damage.

The organization is governed by an elected Executive Board (President, two Vice Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary) and is anchored by strategic partnerships with IEMA, OSFM, Cook County Department of Homeland Emergency Management & Regional Security, Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, Department of Public Health EMS Division, Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI), the Illinois Terrorism Task Force, and FEMA/NIMS. Distribution of specialized equipment (385 Drager 4-gas atmospheric monitors), annual Command and Communications Training Summits, and credentialing pathways for hazardous-materials and technical-rescue personnel further extend MABAS's role as Illinois' recognized mutual aid backbone.

Name

Mabas

Legal name

Mutual Aid Box Alarm System

Website

https://mabas-il.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MABAS is an Illinois inter-governmental mutual aid organization coordinating fire, EMS, and specialized rescue response across 70 divisions and 1,175+ member communities in all 102 Illinois counties, using standardized Box Alarm protocols and a common IFERN radio frequency.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Response Mutual Aid Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Disaster Response Coordination & Incident Command (EOC/ICS) (HLAJAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Operations & Dispatch (HLAJAGAC), Emergency Response & Search-and-Rescue (SAR) (BPAGAAAA), Security, Safety & Fire/Life Safety Management (BPABAAAE)

Keywords

• Mutual aid response
• Emergency response coordination
• Fire and EMS services
• Disaster mobilization system
• Specialized rescue operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Wheeling

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues collected from member agencies based on a sliding scale tied to the agency's annual operating budget. Additional assessments may be imposed by local MABAS divisions. MABAS also coordinates funding from state agencies like the Office of the State Fire Marshal for equipment programs.
2. Government Grants and Funding: MABAS receives funding from government sources such as the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal for equipment distribution programs like the 4-Gas Atmospheric Monitor project. Also coordinates with UASI (Urban Area Security Initiative) for equipment purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) operates a statewide mutual aid response system for fire, EMS, and specialized incident operational teams in Illinois, defining standardized resource response plans activated when the Governor orders a Declaration of Disaster. The organization coordinates 1,175+ member agencies across 70 divisions in all 102 Illinois counties, providing pre-designed "run" cards, a common IFERN radio frequency, and access to specialized teams (HAZMAT, technical rescue, underwater rescue, USAR) for over 800 extra-alarm incidents annually.

Product overview

MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) is a statewide mutual aid response organization for fire, EMS, and specialized incident operational teams in Illinois. The organization operates through 70 divisions covering all of Illinois' 102 counties, coordinating emergency response through its core Box Alarm Response System and Master Agreement framework. The portfolio includes Specialized Operations Teams (30 hazardous materials teams, 16 underwater rescue/recovery teams, 29 technical rescue teams, 2 swift water teams, and IL-TF1 Urban Search and Rescue team), distributed Equipment Assets (air support units, decontamination vehicles, mobile ventilation units, watercraft, ROVs, tent city trailers), the MABAS Readiness Center as the central coordination hub, Communications Committee Services (radio interoperability via IFERN and STARCOM21), Training Summits/Conferences, and the Atmospheric Monitor 4-Gas Project for equipment distribution. Every MABAS participant agency operates on a common radio frequency (IFERN) and responds to over 800 local extra-alarm incidents annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MABAS Mutual Aid Response System Statewide mutual aid response system for fire, EMS, and specialized incident operational teams, defining resource response plans activated when the Governor orders a Declaration of Disaster. Available to municipal fire departments, EMS agencies, and fire protection districts in Illinois.
• Specialized Operations Teams Statewide deployable teams including 30 hazardous materials teams, 16 underwater rescue/recovery teams, 2 swift water flood search and rescue teams, 29 technical rescue teams, and 1 urban search and rescue team. Available to member agencies for extra-alarm and disaster response.
• Urban Search and Rescue Team (IL-TF1) FEMA NIMS Type 1 compliant US&R team with 200 deployable members divided into three platoons, self-sustaining for 72 hours, providing heavy construction search and rescue capabilities with internal planning, logistics, structural stability assessment, medical, and hazardous materials monitoring.
• Box Alarm Response System Pre-designed "run" cards that each participating agency designs and tailors to meet their local risk needs, activated through MABAS for extra-alarm incidents and covering at least a fifth alarm assignment including interdivisional box alarm responses.
• MABAS Master Agreement Standardized contract agreement signed by all member agencies establishing standards of operation, incident command, minimal equipment staffing, fireground safety, and on-scene terminology.
• Communications Committee Services Technical services focused on voice, data, and video interoperability for member agencies, including Statewide Interoperability Template (SWIT) programming guides and IFERN radio frequency coordination.
• MABAS Training Summits and Conferences Annual MABAS Training Summit offering Command and Communications training tracks, plus hazardous materials technician certification courses co-hosted with the Illinois Fire Service Institute throughout the year. Available to member agencies and the broader fire service community.
• MABAS Readiness Center (MRC) Central facility housing emergency response assets, warehouse trailers, morgue truck, mission support units, and coordination resources for statewide deployments. Located at 233 W. Hintz Road, Wheeling, IL.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800+ extra-alarm incidents responded to annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IEMA (Illinois Emergency Management Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2001MABAS partners with IEMA to establish a statewide mutual aid response system. IEMA mobilizes state assets under the direction of the Governor, utilizing MABAS for fire, EMS, and special operations resources. MABAS provides 'one-stop shopping' for IEMA officials to activate and mobilize local resources.
• Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOSFM is a key partner sharing effort with MABAS. The two collaborate on equipment programs such as the Atmospheric Monitor (4-Gas) project, providing monitoring equipment to Illinois fire departments.
• Cook County Department of Homeland Emergency Management & Regional Security (CCDEMRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMABAS became a Partner Agency with Cook County's Department of Homeland Emergency Management & Regional Security. Together they design and establish capability-based systems to serve the high-density, urban area.
• Illinois Fire Chiefs AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresentatives from the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association share effort in the MABAS mutual aid system.
• Department of Public Health - EMS DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresentatives from the Department of Public Health EMS Division share effort in the MABAS mutual aid system.
• Illinois Terrorism Task ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMABAS works with the Illinois Terrorism Task Force to prepare for meta-disasters from earthquakes to improvised nuclear devices. The task force is listed as an affiliate organization.
• Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a MABAS affiliate organization, collaborating on emergency response coordination.
• Illinois Public Works Mutual Aid Network (IPWMAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a MABAS affiliate organization for mutual aid coordination.
• Ready Illinois / IEMAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a MABAS affiliate organization for statewide emergency preparedness.
• FEMA / National Incident Management System (NIMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMABAS operates under FEMA's National Incident Management System framework. IL-TF1 is modeled after and compliant with FEMA NIMS Type 1 US&R standards.
• Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFSI co-hosts training courses including Hazardous Materials Technician certification courses held at IFSI facilities in Champaign, IL.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Pennsylvania Intrastate Mutual Aid System: Pennsylvania's statewide mutual aid framework managed through PEMA, covering fire, EMS, and specialized rescue. Comparable state-level mutual aid function with similar incident command alignment to NIMS.
• MABAS-Wisconsin: The Wisconsin chapter of MABAS, applying the same Box Alarm system and Master Agreement framework across Wisconsin fire departments. Most directly comparable on operating model and terminology, differing only in state-level governance.
• Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS): Texas's statewide fire mutual aid system coordinated through TDEM. Comparable to MABAS in providing state-level fire mutual aid coordination, but operated as a state agency function rather than an inter-governmental organization.

Direct peers

• Illinois Public Works Mutual Aid Network (IPWMAN): IPWMAN is the public works sibling of MABAS, providing mutual aid for municipal utilities and infrastructure agencies. Listed as a MABAS affiliate organization and operates on the same inter-governmental mutual aid framework.
• Florida Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1 (FL-TF1): FL-TF1 is one of the federally recognized FEMA Type 1 USAR task forces, operated through Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Direct peer for IL-TF1's heavy rescue capabilities, with similar 200-member deployable structure and 72-hour self-sufficiency standard.
• Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS): ILEAS is MABAS's law enforcement counterpart in Illinois, applying the same inter-governmental mutual aid model to police agencies. Operates with comparable master agreement, divisional structure, and IEMA integration, making it the most structurally identical peer.

Others

• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): NFPA is the primary standards-setting body for fire service operations in the U.S. MABAS's standardized run cards, Box Alarm protocols, and Master Agreement effectively implement NFPA standards at scale across Illinois, making NFPA an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.
• International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC): IAFC is a membership association of fire chiefs that provides training, standards, and advocacy. Adjacent to MABAS in serving the same fire service leadership community but focused on professional development rather than operational mutual aid.

Broad incumbents

• California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES): CalOES administers California's statewide mutual aid system (including fire and EMS mutual aid) and operates multiple FEMA USAR task forces. Broader incumbent than MABAS, covering all hazards rather than specializing in fire/EMS.
• Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC): EMAC is the national interstate mutual aid framework managed by the National Emergency Management Association. Broader in scope (covers all state resources) and less operationally specific to fire/EMS than MABAS, but serves as the umbrella under which MABAS chapters sometimes coordinate cross-border responses.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MABASIllinois
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mabas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mabas