By David Fleet

Editor

Groveland Twp.– At 10 a.m., Aug. 11 there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the Michigan Mutual Aid Box Alarm System or MABAS, storage warehouse on about two acres of township property on the north side of Grange Hall Road west of Dixie Highway.

Michigan Secretary of State and township resident Ruth Johnson along with county and township officials are expected to attend the event.

“The new building and its equipment will be a great benefit for the township, Oakland County and all of Michigan,” said Johnson. “It’s great to know that this emergency response equipment will be available to assist with all kinds of disasters across the state and the Great Lakes region. I thank Supervisor Bob DePalma and the other township leaders for their work.”

In May the township board of trustees finalized a deal that would bring the massive emergency equipment and resource depot to the township. The MABAS storage warehouse will be relocated from a large hangar at the Pontiac-Oakland Airport to a new 17,000 square-foot facility in the township. The building will be constructed by township builder Barry Bass and be leased from the township for $8,500 per month. Building is ordered and could be operational by November or December 2016.

DePalma said it’s a great fit for the community.

“The value for the township is to have the MABAS resources not in our backyard, rather now in our front yard,” said DePalma. “From a safety standpoint, it’s ideal and an asset to the community. If something happens here in the township, safety is right on our door step.”

The MABAS equipment includes mobile hospitals, base of operations centers and massive generators. MABAS is funded by state governments and designed to streamline the emergency and fire services resources across Michigan for day-to-day mutual aid. In addition, MABAS coordinates large scale events such as major fires, train derailments, tornadoes, wildfires, domestic or foreign terrorism and other events that may overwhelm local resources.

Michigan, along with Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, have implemented the MABAS program. Currently, there are 17 MABAS divisions in Michigan, covering the state’s Emergency Management Regions: 1,2,3,5,6 and 7. Within these regions there are 250 member fire departments, an Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, Technical Rescue Strike Teams, Hazardous Material Response Teams and an Incident Management Team.