JERSEYVILLE – Jersey County is now officially part of a statewide mutual aid system allowing neighboring communities to help each other during emergencies.
Jersey County Board members unanimously approved a resolution allowing the county to participate as a member in the Illinois Emergency Management Mutual Aid System on Aug. 11, 2026.
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Chairman Mark Wagner said this agreement allows Jersey County agencies to coordinate through the State of Illinois to help neighboring counties during emergencies. While the county has helped out nearby communities during past emergencies, Wagner said this agreement simply makes the practice official.
“Say there’s a catastrophe in Greene County. The state may call Jersey County and say, ‘Hey, can you help us out with resources in Greene County?’” Wagner said. “That’s what this is all about.”
Wagner cited the heavy flooding in July of 2025 as one example where mutual aid was critically needed in Jersey County.
“During the last flood, we had firefighters from Chicago that [were] down here helping out with the flood detail down in the river bottoms with boats,” he said.
Keith Norman, coordinator of the county’s Emergency Services and Disaster Agency (ESDA), presented the agreement for the board’s consideration. Under the agreement, Norman is allowed to communicate with the state’s Emergency Management Mutual Aid System, which may request assistance in another county.
Earlier this year, Norman said approximately 30% of calls made to the Jerseyville Fire Department in 2025 came from neighboring communities such as Brighton, Carrollton, Fieldon, Godfrey, Medora, Rosedale, and more.
“We run mutual aid with a lot of our neighboring departments,” Norman said at the time. “They come here and help us, we go there and help them.”
