MABAS stands for Mutual Aid Box Alarm System and is a user-driven system designed to streamline the requesting and providing of emergency and fire services resources across Michigan for day-to-day mutual aid and for large-scale events such as major fires, train derailments, tornadoes, wildfires, domestic or foreign terrorism and other events that may overwhelm local resources.

Michigan joins Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and several other Midwest states that have implemented the MABAS program. Currently, there are 31 MABAS divisions in Michigan covering the state's Emergency Management Regions: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7. Within these regions, there are over 500 member fire departments, an Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, Technical Rescue Strike Teams, Hazardous Material Response Teams and an Incident Management Team. Several more divisions are in the process of forming.

(Text from MABAS website)

As a member department of Michigan MABAS Division 3701, Cedar Area Fire & Rescue provides personnel and resources in response to requests for mutual aid throughout the MABAS network and assists with MABAS organizational development. In addition to supporting our neighbors, Michigan MABAS directly benefits the residents of our community as CAFR can (and has) received mutual aid resources for major incidents in our service area.

Some of the recent MABAS incidents that CAFR has been involved in include:

• Leelanau Redi-Mix Fire (2020)

• Gaylord Tornado (2022)

• Hemlock Grain Silo Fire (2022)

• Menominee Resolute Forest Products Fire (2022)

• Multiple large regional wildland fires