Local police and fire departments along the Lake-Cook Road corridor are working with local businesses to prepare for large emergencies, such as the pandemic flu.

“Homeland Security wanted people to work together … to be able to share resources and be a team if anything goes wrong,” said Marcia Kittler, director of public relations for the Association of Contingency Planners’ Northern Illinois chapter.

Hotels can act as temporary housing, for example, if area hospitals are full.

Communities including Buffalo Grove, Libertyville and Lincolnshire have joined in the Lake Cook Corridor Regional Partnership, the first regional initiative in Illinois by the Critical Incident Protocol Community Facilitation Program.

The corridor runs from Long Grove at the west to Lake Michigan.

The program was developed by Michigan State University in 2001 to prepare plans for natural and man-made emergencies.

Buffalo Grove fire department Battalion Chief Larry Swieca said in the case of a pandemic flu, for example, local businesses and the village will now know which businesses are important to keep open.

“We have to see when we can start combining jobs, which ones are necessary to keep everything functional,” he said.

He said this will also come in handy with incidents such as floods. If a local restaurant needs help getting back on its feet, for example, the owners will have a place to turn.

The 60 participants, which include various fire departments and businesses from Discover Financial Services in Riverwoods to Kraft Foods in Northfield, held an initial meeting Tuesday.

Libertyville Fire Chief Richard Carani said his department got involved when Volkswagen Credit wanted to set up a training program. They did the program separately just with the company and then decided to join the regional effort.

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