HARBERT — The Michigan Mutual Aid Box Alarm System will be activating Engine Strike Teams from 16 counties across Michigan Wednesday in an exercise to prepare for supporting any given community during a disaster.

Each Strike team will include fire engines and one strike team leader, for a total of 80 fire engines, 16 command vehicles with more than 250 firefighters, all of which will be activated by their local 911 center, requesting that all apparatus report to a pre-designated local point of departure. Once the fire personnel and equipment arrive at their point of departure, they will notify their local 911 center that they have arrived and are ready for deployment.

“The purpose of the activation is to exercise Michigan’s Fire Department Mutual Aid system, its capability to move fire resources during a disaster, and to test our statewide communications,” said Fire Chief Brian Ball, president of Michigan MABAS. “At any time one of our communities can be faced with a natural or manmade disaster that requires more resources than the communities or their surrounding communities can provide, that’s when our statewide system of Fire Department Mutual Aid resources are activated.”

Michigan MABAS is an organization operated by its participating fire departments. MABAS maintains a system and communications for activating and moving fire department resources across the State of Michigan. Michigan MABAS has more than 550 participating fire departments in more than 30 counties. Later this year MABAS will be exercising other resource activations in an effort to prepare for any disaster, fire, hazardous materials incident, or special rescue.

Berrien County MABAS Division 3501 will be conducting this drill at the Chikaming Township Fire department, 13535 Red Arrow Highway Harbert, MI 49115. Other participants include firefighters from Niles City, Buchanan City, Bertrand Township and Niles Township, among others.