MABAS is such a unique system, but how much is really personalities? You're the point person right now. How much of this is Jay Reardon?

I think you're right. Personalities play into it and all on the reasonableness side of it, but don't ignore the critical. There are questions that always come up that need to be answered, but we try to answer them in a way that it complements the existing system and won't cripple the system.

Let's say you go in to buy a car. Aren't you more likely to buy a car from somebody who is willing to talk to you; answer questions and look at you eye to eye; and if they don't know, they'll get back to you with an answer? I think that anybody that is asked to represent MABAS attempts the same manner. We are a solid organization, and prior to Sept. 11, MABAS started to become recognized in the state of Illinois. In 1998, we had 250-plus members and we exploded all the way through, but right after 9/11 we saw big growth. We signed an agreement with IEMA a year before 9/11/01, and that allowed us to respond anywhere in Illinois whether they were or were not a MABAS entity….

If somebody questions why they should join if they'll get MABAS anyway, we'd ask, “What about all those other disasters that don't make it to the state disaster level?”

I have stopped worrying about trying to sell this product. If somebody is unable to see the advantages for their community, then it fits in the cliché “ignorance can be fixed, stupid is broken,” and I don't deal with broken things. When we hear from a rural county that they have 15 departments in the county — seven want in, but the rest don't — we tell them to come in and that county will be one with seven in and eight not. What do we do to get the others to join us? Give them time. MABAS sells itself. When all of the fears and premonitions don't happen, nobody steals their fire trucks or nozzles, the stories come back of how good MABAS is, then one by one they come into the MABAS division.