Hanover Township seeking more volunteers for emergency services

The Hanover Township Emergency Services Unit played essential roles assisting local public safety crews this month when storms and two tornadoes touched down in the Elgin area, and they’re seeking more volunteers to join them.

“We currently have 22 members. I’d be thrilled if we could get that up to 30,” Hanover Township Emergency Services Director Mike Crews said.

How the all-volunteer group helped out during the July 12 storm and tornadoes is a prime example of what the Emergency Services Unit does during a disaster, he said.

“That turned into pretty much a 24-hour day for us,” Crews said.

Hanover Township Emergency Services Unit officers participate in search and rescue training in Bartlett in October. (Hanover Emergency Services Unit/HANDOUT)

Given the foreboding weather forecast for that evening, some of the unit was deployed as weather spotters at 5:30 p.m. They relayed information to the National Weather Service through a special app and by radio communication, Crews said.

After the storm, a team used a drone to survey the damage on Elgin’s far west side, helping count and identify the homes that had been hit.

Other unit members set up lighting for public works crews doing cleanup and making repairs as homeowners gathered what they needed to head to temporary shelter.

Then, some crew members helped set up two lighting trucks for an investigation after a fatal traffic accident in the early hours of July 13 on Elgin’s east side at Route 20 and Hilliard Drive.

That same morning, members of the unit assisted the Kane County Emergency Management Office in doing storm damage assessment and collecting information to be relayed to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Crews said.

Past the skills put to use during those situations, the Emergency Services Unit webpage notes a host of other services the volunteers provide.

Hanover Township Emergency Services Unit volunteers played essential roles assisting local public safety crews July 12 when storms and two tornadoes touched down in the Elgin area. (Hanover Township/HANDOUT)

Among them are offering decontamination services and breathing apparatus refill when requested on fire scenes. The unit has generators, pumps and chainsaws to assist in addressing weather-related damage.

It also gives presentations on disaster and emergency readiness. Unit members are fully trained in search techniques.

Searches can be another use for Emergency Services Unit’s drones. Crews said the unit has had drones since 2021, including two larger ones that can be equipped with a variety of cameras and a smaller unit used for training.

The unit used drones to monitor Bartlett’s recent Fourth of July parade and to help firefighters during a warehouse fire in Bartlett in February 2022, he said.

All told, the volunteer members logged 14,702 hours on training, work and on-scent responses, answering 220 emergency calls between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, according to data provided by the township.

The unit typically works with 15 fire departments and 10 police departments in and around Hanover Township, Crews said. As an associate member of Illinois Fire Department Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Divisions 2 and 12, it can be called out to other towns too.

The team currently consists of 17 men and five women, from teens to seniors, who come from a variety of backgrounds. Members don’t have to live in Hanover Township to participate.

Hanover Township Emergency Services Unit officers provided scene security when power line work had to be done in May in Schaumburg. (Hanover Emergency Services Unit/HANDOUT)

“There are general laborers, a nurse, a chemical engineer and someone who works for the federal government,” Crews said.

Joining requires filling out an application and going through an interview, Crews said. Volunteers must be able to commit to being on call for at least two, 8-hour shifts a month and anyone chosen will be trained, serve a 3-month probation period and be evaluated on a variety of skills and knowledge of topics.

Hanover Township Supervisor Brian McGuire said the unit is marking its 15th year, and he offered two solid reasons for volunteering.

“Serving in the Emergency Services Unit can be a stepping stone to a career in public service. And for others interested in public safety, the unit provides a great opportunity to play a vital role in the community,” McGuire said.

Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.