July, 2003
4 Mile Fire, Recruitment, Station Progress, New Hire
I have several subjects that I must touch on in this issue of the
Profile, including, the fire that occurred on Four Mile at Manderly,
firefighter recruitment, progress on the new station, and the promotion
of a new Equipment Operator.
Plainfield Fire Department (PFD) was recently called to assist Grand
Rapids Township Fire Department (GRTFD) at a fire on Four Mile Road. The
initial call came in stating that dispatch had received several calls of
a home with fire and smoke coming through the roof in the area of Dean
Lake and Four Mile. (When the fire department receives a call with this
information the firefighters anticipate two things, one, that it is most
likely a genuine call, and two, that it will take hard work and some
luck to save the structure. If the fire has burned through the roof it
has been burning for quite some time!) GRTFD immediately requested that
PFD be dispatched as well. The lieutenant on duty realized that the area
did not have hydrants and requested that our tanker (a fire truck that
holds larger amounts of water) be dispatched as well. GRTFD and PFD
arrived almost simultaneously to find a large home heavily involved with
fire. Despite the best efforts of both departments the only portion of
the home was not completely destroyed was the two story attached garage.
There are several reasons that the home was so severely damaged; first
and foremost was the amount of involvement of fire upon arrival, the
larger the fire the more water it requires to extinguish it, second, the
homes construction allowed for fast fire spread (large open spaces,
exposed wood), third, the lack of hydrants, the initial attack crews had
to wait for water once they had used what they carried in the engines,
fourth was the access to the scene, the portion of Four Mile Road where
the fire occurred provides limited access and there was minimal room to
maneuver fire apparatus, (the fire department can function better when
there is adequate room to maneuver, this need for space is amplified
when there are no hydrants because the tankers must get in and out with
their water).
What can you as a homeowner do to minimize your risk? Make sure that
your address is clearly posted (this was not a problem in this instance
but it can be). Have adequately functioning smoke alarms, and if you
contract with an alarm company make sure that they notify the fire
department immediately upon receipt of an alarm from your home. If you
live on a private drive make sure that it is wide enough to allow fire
department access, and that you keep trees and brush trimmed back. If
you live near woods make sure that you have an area cleared around your
home to act as a firebreak. Have an escape plan for your family and
practice it regularly.
Now is the time of year that we are preparing our new Paid On Call
firefighters to start training. If you have an interest in helping your
community and think you would enjoy the excitement of belonging to the
fire department, now is the time to check us out. You can see what is
involved in becoming a member of our team and print an application by
visiting our web site,
www.plainfieldfire.org. Being a member of the fire department is not
for everyone, but there are many personal rewards.
The new station is actually starting to look like a building as I
write this. By the time you read it I anticipate that the walls will be
up and the roof on. So far the problems that we have encountered have
been minimal. The construction is being documented on our web site.
One of the benefits of being the fire chief is that occasionally I
get to pass on good news to our members. This happened recently when I
was able to pass on the recommendation of a panel that interviewed
promotional candidates. The panel recommended Jerry Burk, one of our
Paid On Call members. Jerry started on July 3rd. He has worked very hard
to be placed in this position and I’m sure he will do a fine job for the
residents of Plainfield Township. The down side of the equation is that
Jerry replaces Mark Fankhauser who left the Township to continue his
career with the City of Grand Rapids. Good Luck Mark, we will miss you.
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