The Broadview Fire Department is a major participant with the M.A.B.A.S. Division 20 Technical Rescue Team. The Division 20 Team is comprised of approximately seventy-five (75) firefighters from towns throughout M.A.B.A.S. Division 20. The Technical Rescue Team responds to any unique rescue situations that cannot be handled by area departments. These incidents may include but are not limited to trench collapses, above or below grade rescue, confined space rescues, or building collapse.

M.A.B.A.S. Division 11 (North Riverside, Berwyn, Cicero, Oak Park, etc.) also contracts the Division 20 (TRT) Team to provide their division with rescue services from our team. This service is provided through a set annual fee paid to M.A.B.A.S. Division 20.

Currently the Broadview Fire Department has four (3) members on the Divi- sion 20 TRT Team. They are as follows:

Deputy Chief Jack Kowalski

Captain Thomas Gaertner

Captain Ned Thoma
 
 
The team is equipped with apparatus and heavy-duty rescue equipment pur- chased by the Village of Broadview and M.A.B.A.S. Division 20. Team members attend team member training and team leader meetings on a monthly basis. Some of this training includes training in conjunction with local area industry or businesses where these types of incidents are more likely to happen.

The Division 20 TRT Team continued with its monthly training program. Team members meet once a month at a designated location to train on various rescue techniques, tools and equipment, and rescue scenarios. These drills keep up the team member’s skills and keep them prepared for any rescue situation they may be called upon to respond to.

Again this year the Broadview Fire Department continued with there involvement with the State of Illinois Urban Search and Rescue Team (Illinois Task Force 1). This team is made up of a group of 210 elite rescue personnel, technical search specialists, medical doctors, paramedics, nurses, structures specialists, and canine search dogs from through-out the State of Illinois broken down into three 70 person teams. IL-TF1 will respond with an 80 person highly trained and heavily equipped rescue team when a town or region is stricken with a large-scale incident caused by natural disasters (tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, etc.) or by other means (airplane crash, train derailment, terrorist attack, etc). This team can be called into a devastated area and be self sufficient for at least three days. The team carries there own food, water, and sleeping accommodations. All team meetings, training, and deployment costs for IL-TF1 Personnel are fully reimbursed back to the village through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) and the Illinois Terrorism Task Force (ITTF).

Presently 9 personnel from the Division 20 TRT team have been selected to be members of the Illinois USAR Team (IL-TF1).  One of the nine members selected from our Division is from the Broadview Fire Department, Captain Tom Gaertner who is the Senior Task Force Leader of IL-TF1.

The Technical Rescue Team would again like to “Thank you”, the Broadview Village Board, for your support. Your help and assistance has made our team one of the most highly regarded and premier teams in the state. We will continue to provide this Village with the highest quality rescue service possible.