The Miami Valley Fire/EMS Alliance is a Council of Government organized under the Ohio Revised Code 167. The Alliance Full/Voting membership area is Montgomery, Greene, and Warren Counties. To date, there are 20 Full/Voting members, one Affiliate members and four Associate members. The membership agreement and cost per capita has not changed since the Alliance formation in March of 1995. The Alliance was founded to encourage cooperation among the fire departments to save the departments and ultimately their citizens both time and money. Joint purchasing was the initial endeavor with immediate cost savings for members. The State of Ohio through its cooperative purchasing process has changed the joint purchasing efforts of the Alliance. Nevertheless, the Alliance bid for EMS supplies remains strong at an overall savings of 27%. In addition there are currently two bids: Ladder Testing and Physical Exams. Recently, the Alliance was able to secure a joint-departmental purchase for fire hose, foam and high visibility vests based on quantity discounts. A new initiative is a "members only" buyer's discount program through a password protected vendor's website portal. Please see the Alliance website at www.mvfea.com for more savings opportunities.

The Alliance strives to serve its members through new initiatives and programs. Since 2005 the Alliance has conducted the Entry Level Testing Program for the departments that wish to save approximately $5,000 per testing cycle. The Alliance administers three written tests a year that are in four parts: 1.) Human Relations, 2.) Mechanical, 3.) Math and 4.) Reading. Currently, the testing supplier is Ergometrics, Inc., a well-respected testing company from the State of Washington. There is a nation-wide manpower shortage; hence the cooperative efforts of the Alliance, the Sinclair Fire Academy and Ergometrics have proven invaluable. Future plans include working with more fire academies in the tri-state area.

Along with the Entry Level Written Test, the Alliance administers a CPAT Exam or Candidate Physical Ability Test that is approved and developed in cooperation with the International Association of Firefighters and the International Association of Fire Chiefs. The prospective candidates pay for all written testing materials and CPAT exam administration fees. The Alliance has the capability to conduct Ohio BCI&I - background checks.

As a benefit of membership, the Alliance is capable of conducting Assessment Centers for fire chiefs and fire officer promotions. Most assessment center fees from outside companies cost $3-5,000 depending on the number of individuals tested. The Alliance is also very skilled at facilitating Strategic Planning.

After 9/11 the Federal Government designed a system of National Incident Management or NIMS. Not only does the Alliance have access to several instructors, the Executive Director is certified as a NIMS trainer.

Through the work of several workgroups, committees and advisory boards, the Alliance fosters cooperation with area departments through training, grants and information sharing. With the new State of Ohio requirements of Continued Educational credits (CEU's) for each firefighter, the Training Committee has been able to provide training that is cost effective. The training exercises have been numerous and future plans are prolific. The Alliance is the owner of a mobile Confined Space Training Trailer and has developed a mobile Mayday Training Trailer. The Training Committee also hosts an annual weekend Fire School. The Communications Committee has been very instrumental in regional cooperation with not only fire departments but also law enforcement and public works departments in developing an 800 MHz radio Use Template and Communications SOP. The committee is working on developing exercise drills of the new radio Template, first on a smaller scale with neighboring departments and second for a two-county exercise of the entire system. Lessons learned at such an exercise will save lives.

The Alliance as the Sponsoring Agency for OH-TF1 has access to a 5,000 square foot Training Center. The Center has a two-person office, restrooms and a large classroom able to seat approximately 50 people. The Center is available for members by scheduling through the Training Officer at the Alliance office. During OH-TF1 deployments, the building is used as the Family Support Center. Because the Alliance leases office space from Sinclair Community College, open classrooms and conference rooms are available free of charge to members.

The present statistics for active duty firefighter deaths are 50% due to coronary disease. The Alliance has taken the lead with the development of the Health & Wellness Workgroup. Their dedication has led to a better understanding of health improvements for firefighters. The workgroup developed a Wellness and Fitness Template that is posted on the Alliance website at www.mvfea.com. In addition, they have hosted several seminars and workshops. They have

certified Peer Fitness trainers. For every dollar spent on improving health and wellness, communities can save additional dollars on health insurance costs and the added value of having a healthy and fit department. When the alarm is sounded, the Alliance wants every firefighter to be able to respond and come home safe.

During a large-scale incident such as a tornado or flood, the Alliance has developed an Incident Management structure. The IMT Workgroup in collaboration with the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management is designing bar-coded identification cards to insure that the credentials of law enforcement and/or firefighters responding to another jurisdiction during a disaster are certified. At a welcome center, each person could be checked in and assigned the appropriate duty station. Bar-coded I.D.'s could be started at the time a candidate enters the Alliance testing process and updated when needed. If an incident is long term in duration, as witnessed during the Katrina Hurricane, the Alliance has a plan in place to help firefighter families and departments to work together to assure their families' safety.

The SOG will go a long way to help firefighters cope with the magnitude of the incident and not be overly concerned about their families' safety. The Alliance works with several organizations. Cooperative efforts include the Mayors and Managers Assn., Greater Dayton Managers Assn., American Red Cross, The Greater Miami EMS Council, Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management, Greene County Office of Emergency Management, Sinclair Community College, Catholic Social Services, MGLERC, and Miami Valley Communication Council.

Under the Alliance sponsorship there are several entities. The Alliance is the sponsoring agency for OH-TF1, a Federal and State of Ohio Urban Search and Rescue Team, and the Dayton Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team. The Hazmat Team is a full-time, professional hazmat team that responds to Hazmat incidents in Greene and Montgomery Counties. The Region 3 Rescue Strike Team is an eight-county search and rescue team that is also under the Alliance umbrella. Other associations are exploring joining the Alliance team to take advantage of the high quality, accurate record keeping and skilled employees.

While the Alliance Advantage is evolving, the mission is as significant today as it was in the beginning, if not more. By providing cooperative regional training for firefighters, educational opportunities, entry level and promotional testing, strategic planning, cooperation with many governmental organizations, improving firefighter wellness and fitness and cost-savings on equipment and services the Alliance has the Advantage.

The Alliance Advantage Includes...